Altered
by The Ethereal Lord
Summary: He suceeded... Faced off against the world, he had done it... The Tsuki no Me was complete... He never knew just how far I'd go to save my world... My precious people... To undo this evil... This blight that he brought upon my world... Everything that was once my past must be...Altered. I just hope I get it right this time...
1. Prologue

Ok. First Naruto fic here. Please enjoy.

* * *

 _ **PROLOGUE:**_

 _ **TWO YEARS AFTER THE KYŪBI ATTACK...**_

 _ **Random Room in the Konoha General Orphanage...**_

On a small cot in the room lay a child. Golden, spiky hair and three whisker marks on each cheek marked him as being different... The faint outline of a tattoo on his belly marked him as a target...

"He's cute..." A soft voice murmured. "Seeing him like this makes me feel horrible about the way I treated you back in the Academy."

"And later on the team." Another voice added with mirth in his voice. "Always chasing after your beloved Sasuke-kun."

"And you were always chasing my ass Naruto-kun." the female laughed quietly.

"Well, I have to admit that it was a pretty cute ass. Though I still stand by my word that both Ino-chan and Ten-chan had much better asses. And Hinata-chan's the all round top class kunoichi."

"Tenten and Hinata I have no problem with. Ino-pig? Never."

"Ah well... Good times..." the male sighed.

"Yeah. Then HE showed up and the world went to hell."

"We'll get back at him. We just need to set it all up."

"Yeah... I'm guessing that it's time?"

"Yeah... Keep him steady for me." The male stated as he approached the cot.

The child in there, somehow feeling a presence approaching, began to squirm.

"I will. Are the seals in place?" the female asked as she too closed in on the cot.

The child squirmed even more.

"Yes. I planted them the way instant we arrived."

Now close enough to the cot, a sliver of moonlight shone onto their heads, illuminating their features just a bit...

The female, a woman really, had pale creamy skin with what looked like bubble-gum pink hair.

The man, on the other hand looked like the young child in the cot. In fact, apart from miniscule details like significantly longer hair, a leaner face and almost nonexistent whisker marks, they could pass as brothers.

He lifted his hand over the now fully restless boy's belly as wisps of blue energy flickered around his fingertips.

At the same time, the woman's hands flashed through a string of hand seals before she sighed. "Genjutsu in place."

"Excellent." the man replied, all traces of emotions gone from his features. "On three."

"Two." the woman counted down as she placed both palms, one on the child's forehead and the other above his heart.

"One." the man's hand dropped closer to the boy's belly.

"Now." they both intoned as her hands glowed an ethereal green just as his fingertips sunk into the black outer spiral of the tattoo.

The room flashed white.

—~ ~—

The multi-storey tall bijū yawned as it rolled over to a more comfortable position. After being stuck in two prisons, one an endless void and the other, a very uncomfortable ball of viscous magma-like chakra that it was staked to, it found this one significantly better. At least now it wasn't going crazy at the infinite darkness and loss of orientation or being driven to the brink by the pain of being staked and burnt. Here, it could rest while gaining back some of the strength it had lost when that masked bastard had forced him to battle the stupid human village. Hell, when the stars were perfectly aligned, it could even see through its new jailers eyes. Unfortunately, the channel always seemed to be tuned to Mob Wars but hey. All the better to manipulate the warder into freeing him. Yup. Life was looking up.

Just as it was about to hit the sack, it felt a sudden surge of chakra surge through the seal. While this normally wouldn't have bothered it, the nature of the chakra definitely perked its interest.

'There's some of my chakra in that mix.' it thought to itself. 'Yet the other chakra is definitely similar to that of my new... host...'

Its mental ramblings were suddenly cut off as an all too familiar figure appeared.

"Oh man!" the man groaned. "I almost forgot how sudden the drop into this place could be. Not to mention just how drab my own mind-scape used to be."

"Namikaze Minato..." the fox growled in disgust. "Come to see if your work's holding up?"

The man then turned and, on seeing the demon, grinned. "Kurama! How are you? Wait. Let me guess. Still recuperating?"

The sewer exploded in sounded as the fox slammed onto its prison bars. "You bastard! You locked me in here and you dare make fun of me? I will eat you! I swear-"

"On the name of the Sage to eat me." the blond smirked. "Trust me, I've heard you say that so many times that I'm very skilled at tuning you out. So do yourself a favor and stop yapping. I need to talk to you.

The fox, surprisingly, stopped pounding on the bars.

Only to guffaw. " What makes you think that I'll listen to you?"

"Hagoromo Ōtsusuki."

The great fox, often referred to as the lord of the bijū... froze.

As in it damned near turned to ice.

The man standing in front of it, a man he despised as much as he despised a certain Uchiha, knew a name that no human alive should know.

A name that it feared.

Instantly, the gears in its head jumped to full throttle.

Now was NOT the time for threats...

—~ ~—

Less than a second had passed since he'd made his declaration to his old friend, well this version of his old friend, spoke again. He knew that he'd piqued his friend's interest by mentioning that name.

"What do you want Namikaze?"

He just grinned. "I know I look a lot like my father but come on you old fox. Spot the differences."

He could see as his friend began to think deep. He could almost hear the cogs in the wily fox's head cranking.

And he could damned near feel the aura of confusion as the dots connected.

"You bear many scents, human." the fox growled. "Some of which no human should bear."

The young looking man just kept smiling. "Like?"

The fox's frown deepened. "You bear the scent of the Namikaze... Yet you bear the scent of his mate as well... You bear my scent but with faint traces of some of my siblings... In fact, without the last ones, you could be my host."

"Got it in one." the man replied. "Guess all those periods of inactivity didn't dull your intelligence."

"Yet, you cannot be my host... He's still a bit... small." the fox countered. Then, its eyes narrowed. "When are you from?"

The man's eyes closed. When they reopened, there was no trace of the mirth that had been there seconds ago. "Guess it's time to get down to business..."

—~ ~—

"So, you're saying that in your time, some bastard named Kimimoto Shasashi brought back the premier Uchiha himself and then gave him a body that was, for all intents and purposes, both immortal _and_ unable to run out of chakra?"

"Yeah..." the blond man sighed. "Kami-sama granted the man absolute control over our world and he allows Madara to complete the Tsuki no Me plan."

"And, before all that, I had created a contingency that you are now enacting?"

"Yeah. You've always been a wily fox."

"I try." the fox lifted and dropped a shoulder in a lazy shrug. "So, what's next in your line of action?"

The blond arched an eyebrow. "You're taking this all too easily."

The fox just shrugged again. "Not too far-fetched. Besides, if I felt that you were lying then you'd be dead."

"Really..." the man drawled only to feel a sudden sting in his cheek. "What the hell?"

"The water around you... Where does it flow from?"

The blond simply face-palmed. "So you could have done that to me back then?"

"Unfortunately, no." the fox sighed. "I can only m manipulate it around the boy with his permission."

"So why'd it work on me?" the blond whined.

"Act like a man." it snapped in response. "You're not my jailer."

Just as the blond was to make a snappy retort of his own the sewer flickered abruptly. "Kami damn it! Looks like dad was an even better fuinjutsu master than I'd expected."

"He created the seal that stuck me in here." the fox snorted as the sewer flickered again. "Of course he's better than you expected."

"I'll seal this encounter until a later time. I know you don't like that but it must be done. Call it..."

"Damage control." the fox yawned. "Now do what you must and get out of here. I need my beauty sleep."

The blond smirked. "Sure... Kurama-sama."

—~ ~—

Out in the real world, while she kept the flow of energy steady, the pink haired woman's mind was nowhere near the job she was doing. And while for others this little slip could be disastrous for the patient, she had become so skilled at this that only the most complicated of procedures truly required her concentration.

'Naruto where are you?' she wondered. 'We've still got quite a bit of work to do so you'd better not have gotten lost in your own mind...'

Then she sighed. She knew that wasn't going to happen. Her partner had an even clearer understanding of their mission here and, knowing that this was their only shoot at undoing what was their present, would battle the Shinigami himself to stop the bastard, Madara, from conquering again.

'Surprising how quickly the world can come to an end...' she mused as painful memories flashed through her mind.

It had all started when the true Akatsuki leader, a crazy wierdo calling himself Madara, had incited war against the shinobi world. With his strange army of the white abomination, Zetsu, he had managed to capture half of Iwagakure. With that, the old fence sitting geezer, Onōki, the sandaime Tsuchikage, had to pull out of his own land. Angrily, he called for a union, temporary as it would be, amongst the shinobi nations. Seeing the threat posed by this 'Madara' in his quest for the jinchūriki, the others had joined the alliance. From that point, the allied nations began to win, because let's face it; good as the Zetsu clones were, having the full force off four of the big five shinobi nations plus the multiple smaller nations granted the alliance a greater chance of success.

Then, the shit went up in the air.

'Madara', it turned out, had been training a still-seeking-revenge Sasuke Uchiha. So when the battle began to turn against him, the leader of the Akatsuki unleashed his private guard: Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Sasuke to find a certain... Snake... for him. With Orochimaru dead,his apprentice, Yakushi Kabuto had taken the mantle of his former master and clearly did well enough to warrant 'Madara's attention.

Skilled as the alliance ninja were, only the very best could handle the 'tailess bijū' and the 'dark avenger'. And with said 'very best' at the forefront of the battle, they'd cut a clean swathe through to Kabuto.

Shit got closer to the fan as it turned out that Kabuto had learnt the Nidaime Hokage's most revolting jutsu: the Edo Tensei...

Now, with some of the most powerful, and in a lot of cases, the closest, ninja returned to life under Kabuto's command, the alliance was hard pressed again... Yet they pulled through as, in their darkest hour... well, second darkest hour... Naruto had arrived with the jinchūriki of the Hachibi, Kirabi of Kumogakure in tow. Their combined effort had once again put the alliance on the brink of victory...

Splat! Yep... That's the sound of shit hitting the fan...

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light exploded from her charge's belly and her partner was sent hurtling into the wall.

Considering the fact that the wall was only about four feet from him and that he was hurled back faster than Jiraiya on an Air Tsunade flight... Yeah... That had to hurt.

After running a final diagnostic scan to be sure of her charge's health status, she cut off the flow of energy to her palms and dashed over to her partner's side. "I'm not even going to ask if that hurt."

"Good." he groaned as he sat up a bit. "I take back all my previous thoughts. Dad was an excellent fuinjutsu master."

"What happened?"

"The seal... It basically didn't recognize me and threw me out."

"We both know it's not that simple." she crossed her armed under her bust. "More detailed explanation. Now."

Knowing that she wouldn't budge an inch if he didn't acquiesce, and considering the tiredness he felt from the series of time jumps he'd made, he simply sighed. "Basically, the moment I entered the seal, it tried to hurl me out. However, knowing what I do about it, I was able to circumvent its attempts. Unfortunately, the moment I began the memory share with Kurama, it was able to take back control from me. By the time the sharing was done, it had already slammed the door shut. Once again, it was only my knowledge of the seal that made it possible for me to even be able to seal away the new memories from Kurama's mind."

"But, after all that, you did what you came here for?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yes."

"And you're sure Inoichi-san will not find us?"

The blond just snorted. "I lived under Uchiha Madara's Tsuki no Me for two full years, the second of which I spent creating the big-ass seal that threw us through time to this point. Ino's dad is high on cactus juice if he thinks he can find me."

"You could just have said 'the seals embedded in the walls will definitely prevent that' but no~. You just had to stroke your own ego."

"Well you don't stroke it for me..." the blond, upon replaying that sentence in his mind just cringed. "You know what? Forget that I ever said that."

"What'll I ever do with you?"

"Well, since we're done for now, how bout you... treat me to ramen tomorrow? It's too bad Teuchi-jii and Ayame-nee-chan haven't set up shop yet but I'm sure threll be something good we can find..."

The pinkette assumed an exaggerated thinking pose before shrugging. "Fine..."

The blond was up in a flash... literally... and hugged the woman to himself. "You're the best Sakura-chan!"

"I know." she laughed as he spun her around. "And don't you forget it Naruto-kun."

With that, they disappeared in a bright orange flash.

They never noticed the young child staring at them unblinkingly through the bars of his cot...

—~ ~—

Ok, that's it for the first chapter of Altered.

Constructive reviews kindly appreciated.

Beyond that, nothing else to say so, bye for now.

The Ethereal Lord.


	2. Chapter 01

_**Chapter 1**_

 _ **SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE KYŪBI ATTACK...**_

Konohagakure no Sato... The Village Hidden In The Leaves... A major power amongst the Elemental Nations and home to some of the most powerful clans and individuals... The bingo book had their names: Hashirama Senju; Shodai Hokage and one half of the founders of the village, Madara Uchiha; second half of the founders and leader of the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi; Sandaime Hokage and the man feared as the 'Kami no Shinobi'... The list was pretty damn long.

You'd think, then, that a village with such powerful shinobi must be a heavily militarized place. If you thought so then you were mixing places up. Kumogakure was actually the most militarized village. Konoha was more of your average village. Sure, there were a few, okay significantly more than a few, ninja walking about in daylight but that didn't really mean much to the civilians. Konoha was a peaceful, fun-loving and calm place.

Today, though, the citizens were in less of a calm and peaceful mood and in more of a let's-go-have-some-fun mood.

It was the tenth day of the tenth month. The darkest day in the village's history... On this day, seven years ago, the terrifying Kyūbi no Yōko had attacked and the day the village's beloved Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had sacrificed his life to defeat the demon...

All around the village were signs of a great festival: fathers having fun teaching their children to play the games in the many stalls that were set up (games that revolved around attacking Kyūbi dolls), mothers discussing with other mothers, young men and women just having fun... It was days like these that the sake dealers lived for.

Away from all the hubbub going on in the central district of the village and much closer to the suburbs, a different form of fun was being had...

—~ ~—

He'd been running now for just over an hour, racing desperately for the only shelter he knew: the Konohagakure General Orphanage.

It wasn't like he was particularly liked there, in fact, he'd most likely get beaten a little and have to forgo his dinner... again... but at the very least, he'd have it better in there than out here with these villagers.

It wasn't a guess. He was sure of that because last year they'd left him in an alley, near drowning in a pool of his own blood. The year before that he'd been left in at the doors of the orphanage in, his body broken.

Why didn't he just stay back in the -relative- safety of the orphanage? Well, he would stay if they didn't throw him out every morning with barely enough food to last the morning.

"He's just up ahead!" a deranged voice called out from behind him. "I can see him!"

'Oh crap!' With that, he accelerated, inwardly trying to figure out how close he was to the orphanage.

So focused was he that his vision began to tunnel and so he missed the arm that lashed out from a corner to clothesline him.

Instantly, he struck the floor, breathless and desperate to escape his life threatening situation.

"Well done, Akio." the deranged voice from earlier commended. "He's actually gotten a tad bit faster since last year."

" To bad he simply isn't strong enough to escape... " another voice said almost mournfully. "Oh well, I guess we just get to have fun with him..."

Upon hearing this, the young blond simply forced his mind to retreat into itself. He knew that their fun would be his pain.

' _Too bad he isn't strong enough to escape...'_ The phrase rang around in his head like a mantra, spinning around in his head until he came to a conclusion...

' _Damn this village! I will get stronger! I will become so strong that none of you will have a choice but to accept me! I will make you respect my existence! I swear it...'_

—~ ~—

In a dimly lit room within Konoha's 'Iceberg', as it was called, a certain purple haired woman was having the time of her life.

Now, in most cases, you'd think she was shopping or doing any of the other inane things women tend to enjoy. Hell, if you were a certain self-proclaimed super pervert, you'd think she was having sex.

Of course, you'd be horrifically off the map with those guesses for two simple reasons:

One, the 'Iceberg' was actually the headquarters of the Ansatstu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. Or, to the general public, the ANBU. While sex in HQ was frowned upon (you sure as hell couldn't expect to find a mall in such a place), there were cases of the deed being done with no repercussions. They were humans, not the mindless automatons of ROOT (Kami forbid THAT! Countless ANBU nin actually _shuddered_ at that thought) so basically, just don't turn it into a regular event and we're all good.

The second reason had nothing to do with the building and everything to do with the woman in question.

Standing at five feet four inches, she had light brown, pupil-less eyes with purple hair, styled in a short, spiky, fanned ponytail. Her body was clad in a fitted, mesh body suit that stretched from her neck to her thighs. On top of this she wore a dark orange miniskirt with a tan overcoat thrown on and what looked like a snakes fang hanging on a thick cord round her neck.

As with any self-respecting nin, she had her fair share of nicknames and titles but one stood out: rising interrogator of Konoha's infamous T&I unit.

Long story short: say hello to Anko Mitarashi.

"So, I know I've asked quite a number of times now but you're pretty tough. Unfortunately, before I run out of boiled skin to peel off, I'll have to ask you again," she questioned as she gently, almost lovingly ran the potato peeler in her hand up and down his arm. "Why did you and your sorry group of bastards attack Nara-san and I?"

Her victim sat stiffly in the seat he was strapped to as the poison she'd injected into him amplified the pain by multiple fold. He knew that talking even once was treason against his village and with a spy amongst the Konoha nin, there was no way he'd be left alone. Yet the pain...

—~ ~—

Outside the room, on the other end of a well concealed window, two men watched the proceedings.

"Anko seems to be taking her time with him, don't you think so Ibiki?"

"Hai Nara-san. She hates being ambushed and so she's taken him as a sort of physical embodiment of the ambush set against both of you." the scarred jōnin answered. "She won't rest until she obtains the necessary Intel."

"That's why she started with the poison." Shikaku stated, calmly looking at the scene in front of him. "It heightens the pain by multiple fold yet forces his heart to keep beating, keeping him alive for whatever... treats... she has for him."

"Precisely." Ibiki confirmed.

"Hmm." Shikaku mused. "Ibiki, I need your honest opinion. I wasn't to push Anko's name for promotion to jōnin. What do you think?"

For a few minutes the room was silent, but for the sounds drifting in from the adjoining room. Then, Ibiki sighed. "Honestly, Nara-san, I am divided about this."

"Why?"

"While Anko is indeed a powerful kunoichi in her own right, her emotions and her pride tend to make her... irrational... in some situations. And the village hasn't done anything to help with that."

"I believe I'm in need of a more in depth explanation, Ibiki."

"After Orochimaru's betrayal, Anko developed an almost insane compulsion to fight and defeat the snake. In doing so, she brought herself up, through sheer force of will, to become the most powerful kunoichi in the village, trumping people like Kurenai and Yugao. I know for sure that she could beat Genma, Hayate and myself easily in one on one battles and possibly even two on one."

"So she's clearly jōnin level."

"Exactly." Ibiki nodded. "However, because of that compulsion, when she finds herself in difficult situations, she tends to go it alone. She says she does it to protect her comrades but I believe she does so to prove to herself that she's getting stronger. Those moments of irrational thinking-"

"Can be used against her by a very skilled opponent." Shikaku completed the sentence. "Not a good feature for a jōnin."

"Hai. And the continuous hatred of the village forces her to try to prove her worth. It's a vicious cycle because the stronger she becomes, the more the civilians fear and hate her."

"Hmm... so she's stronger than chūnin but her emotions make her unsuitable for full jōnin..." Shikaku mused. "Thank you for your honesty, Ibiki."

The scarred jōnin just shrugged. "No problem. She's a great friend to have, if a little insane, so her safety comes to mind before her promotion."

"Otogakure!" the captured ninja in the next room screamed out in pain. "I'm from Otogakure! The Otokage ordered for the head of the Nara clan's leader!"

"See? That wasn't so hard now was it?" Anko said cheerfully. "I didn't even need to pop your balls!"

Every man that heard that shuddered and the Nara clan head made a mental note to never get in Anko's bad books.

"Ask him who the Otokage is." Ibiki stated.

Anko nodded as the communication seal embedded in her earring transmitted her superior officer's instruction. "So, who's the lucky bastard who gets to be your Kage?"

"I don't know! Please believe me! I don't know. Only the elites in the village know him." the man pleaded.

"Are you sure?" the people haired woman asked as she shook flakes of skin out of the potato peeler, dropped it and then picked a pair of... pliers... and waved them sweetly at him. "Jaws here is hungry for balls."

"Please! You've got to believe me!"

"He's telling the truth." Shikaku stated. "I've worked with Inoichi long enough to know when someone's lying and he isn't."

"He's telling the truth." Ibiki enunciated clearly.

In the adjoining room, Anko grinned at her victim and dropped the pliers. "Ok."

Then she walked out, leaving the man to gasp in relief.

"Well, you have your answers Nara-san." Anko grinned even wider this time. "Call me anytime you need someone... interrogated."

"Don't get too cocky girl." Ibiki smiled. "I'm still your superior."

"Wanna test that out on the training grounds? I'll even let you have Genma assisting." she spot back as her from morphed into a smirk.

"Nah. That'll be murder."

"Yeah... On you." With a final smirk, she walked out.

"Interesting... I'll go inform Hokage-sama of our findings... and my decision on Anko's promotion, troublesome as it might be not to send someone else to do it."

"Nara-san, what's your decision on her promotion?" Ibiki asked to which Shikaku smiled.

"You'll just have to wait to find out won't you?"

—~ ~—

Running over the rooftops of the village was a pastime Anko enjoyed, almost as much she enjoyed dango, and she treated herself to it every chance she got. So, right now, on her way to the dango shop after obtaining information from that creep back at the Iceberg and enjoying the calming evening air, she felt pretty damned good.

Just then, as she leapt over another alley, she heard some odd sounds.

"Get him good!"

"Bastard!"

"Fucking demon!"

The last one snapped her into action.

There was only one person in the village that was referred to as 'demon'. And he was only seven years old...

Dropping a few meters behind the small mob of four men and a woman, she stuck to the shadows and watched until she saw a shock of yellow-gold hair.

Then, she took off, launching herself at the closest man, she grabbed his shirt and flung him over to crash bodily into his friends.

"Hey! What the fuck is wrong with you bitch?" one managed to squawk as his assailant walked over to the boy and gently carried him in her arms.

"Technically, by the Sandaime's law, I should have killed you." she stated dismissively as she used her coat to wipe some of the blood off the boy's face. "Be glad I didn't."

"The law says not to talk about it." the woman snarled as she untangled herself from the mass of bodies and stood up. "I wasn't talk-"

She was cut off as a kunai embedded itself into the wall behind her. A thin line of blood trickled down her left cheek.

"Crap. My hand slipped." Anko murmured, her hand already back to wiping the blood off the boy's face. "Guess I shouldn't make that kind of mistake again."

The five civilians were in shock at the speed of her movement until another guy peered into the shadow to see the assailant better. Was that purple... hair?

"Of course you'd save him." he jeered. "The snake bitch rescues the demon brat. I can just see the headlines."

"Sorry, too tired to play. Go find someone your age."

"Bitch!" he growled, breaking into a charge at her. "I'll kill both of you!"

Anko just stood, waiting until he got in range. Then, with the same blinding speed, she leapt into the air and slammed a kick into his nose, shattering the bone instantly.

"Oops. Put too little power into that." she sighed. "Oh well."

With the boy's face reasonably clean, she simply walked out the alley, right between the others left.

—~ ~—

"I'd like to see the Hokage."

Without looking up from the files she was ordering, the secretary just shrugged. "Appointment?"

"None unfortunately. Just tell him that it's a special case."

"From who-" she froze as she saw the boy in Anko's arms. "Naruto..."

Unlike a large majority of the village, she didn't hold anything against the child. She'd worked with the Yondaime and she knew his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. She'd known when Kushina-san was pregnant and, though she wasn't sure, she knew that the man would never place a burden as heavy as being a jinchūriki on just any child. Naruto had to be his son. More than that though, she knew how much the man loved his village. If he believed that sealing the Kyūbi into a child, his own son no less, was the solution, then that child needed as much love as possible to combat the demon's hatred. With the Sandaime, she had been to the orphanage to see the boy a few times (she rarely had time due to all the accursed paperwork that piled up on the Hokage's desk every minute. Who said the Kages were the only ones to suffer the effects of the job?) and she knew that he wasn't treated well. She couldn't adopt him (see reasons above) and so she showed him as much love as she could even she went to see him. To see him like this... battered and bruised... a part of herself just wanted to kill whoever had done this to the boy.

"Momioka-san?" Anko's voice snapped her out of her daze and she immediately headed to the Hokage's door.

—~ ~—

Glancing at the elegant timepiece placed primly in the center of his table, the man sighed tiredly.

'My respect for you has only grown since that day, Minato, but why the hell did you have to die?' he moaned as his head slumped onto the desk. 'As if the regular paperwork wasn't a big enough pain, the damned thing _triples_ for your festival.'

As he silently bemoaned the woes of the 'great honor conferred onto him as the Hokage' the door to his office was thrown open, unleashing a gale of wind powerful enough to rival his son's Daitoppa.

Of course, due to his time of moaning, he had forgotten to drop paper-weights onto the stacks he had finished and everyone knew that wind trumped unweighted paper. Anytime, any day.

"Hokage-sama!"

Head facing down and the hat (that had somehow stayed on through the head banging scene) shadowing his eyes, the Sandaime Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves calmy let out high-chūnin level killing intent as he spoke:

"Momioka-san. How many times have we gone over the-"

"It's Naruto, Hokage-sama!"

Instantly, his head snapped up and, deep within, he felt a part of his heart shatter at the sight of the young blond nestled in Anko's arms.

"By Kami!" His attention immediately switched to the purple haired chūnin. "Anko, explain."

Without a trace of the mischief she was commonly known for, Anko immediately gave a rundown of the events that lead to this point.

"Did you get their names?"

"Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain their names."

"Mitarashi-san," Anko visibly flinched when he addressed her formally and Hiruzen knew that he was being unnecessarily harsh. "Anko, you're the best interrogator after Ibiki. How is it that you were unable to obtain their names?"

"They exploited a loophole in the law Hokage-sama." she replied. "The law states that there should be no mention of his... status. As such, they were not, in a manner, breaking the law."

"Bastards!" Rangiku (Momioka) swore as she analyzed the defence. Being the secretary of the Hokage, she knew just about everything there was to know about Konohagakure's legal system especially in situations like this. "They would have been clear. Especially because of the Civilian Council's view of Naruto."

The age wizened Hokage. "Earlier in your report, you said one other referred to Naruto-kun as 'demon'. Wouldn't that have given you the right to at least obtain their names?"

Anko shook her head sadly. "I thought of that Hokage-sama. It wouldn't have made a difference. If anything, it would have made it worse."

"Why?"

"I have as much favour in the Civilian Council's eyes as Naruto has. In an argument like this, being a three-on-one, I would have lost and there'd be more reasons to hate both of us."

Hiruzen sighed. "Alright Anko. Please take Naruto-kun back to the orphanage."

"But- Hokage-sama!" Rangiku began.

"We will speak of this soon Momioka-san." the old man interrupted. "Anko, when you have dropped him off, please return here. I have something for you."

"Hai Hokage-sama." Anko nodded before shushin-ing out of the room.

"ANBU?" Rangiku asked as soon as the swirling leaves from Anko's departure dissipated.

"I let them off for today." Hiruzen answered. "Only Neko remains and I deem her trustworthy enough to not warrant the use of Minato's privacy seal."

"So what do we do now?" Rangiku asked.

"Straight to the point as always." Hiruzen stated as his lips pressed into a thin line. "Unfortunately, there's not much we can do."

"For starters, you could rephrase that law. Change it to protect him from bodily attacks." Rangiku stated, the tick in her forehead telling him that his loyal secretary was only just holding on to shards of her normally calm and polite manner.

She'd already slipped twice, first when she'd stormed into his office and then when she'd called Naruto's assailants bastards, and she didn't want to snap again.

'She'll snap at least one more time now.' Hiruzen sighed mentally knowing that his blonde, demure looking secretary had a temper only surpassed by three people he'd known: Tsunade Senju; his old student, Tsume Inuzuka; matriarchal clan head of the Inuzuka clan and Kushina Uzumaki; his old friend's wife.

"Unfortunately, I cannot." Hiruzen replied and only years of experience on the battlefield held his schooled expression intact when the blonde snapped her head toward him. From experience, he knew that he had the next few minutes to prove that his stash of Icha Icha was worth keeping in the bottom drawer of his desk. "Unfortunately, due to my relatively lax grip during my time earlier and Minato's even more lax policies, the Civilian Council basically has control over Naruto until he joins the Ninja Academy. It was a concession I made when he was still a baby and they threatened to go to the Daimyo to order Naruto's exile. It is a concession I wish I had not made and a regret I will now carry to my grave."

Upon hearing her leader's heartfelt thoughts about the issue they were in, Rangiku felt her anger ebb away. "There's no need for that Hokage-sama. The past's in the past. Right now we need to work out a way to spur Naruto into wanting to become a shinobi. That way, we can push back some of the Civilian's power over him. If we can hold off most of their ire till he becomes a genin then we'll have full jurisdiction of him and we can make anyone who so much as touches him pay!"

Both ANBU and Hokage shivered at the glint of righteous anger and vengeance that entered the eyes of the blonde.

'Oh sweet Kami, I beg you in your infinite mercy, kill me if I ever get close to having her as an enemy.' Both prayed in unplanned mental synchronicity.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama, Momioka-san, but why can't he be adopted?" the ANBU asked quietly.

Hiruzen sighed for what had to be the hundredth time in the past hour. "That is a good question Neko. However, it is another one of the statutes that has been put down in the village's history for as long as I've known it." the old man turned his seat to look out the windows of his office. The panoramic view of the village was breathtaking as usual. "Uzumaki Mito-sama, wife of the Shodai Hokage created it to prevent unnecessary heartbreak. Basically, only a shinobi married to a civilian can adopt a child."

"Honestly, that's one law I never truly understood." Rangiku frowned. "Why would she make such a law?"

"To begin with, you must understand that Mito-sama was, after her twenty-eighth birthday, barren. She had a child prior to this point, the one who gave birth to Tsunade and her now deceased brother, but that was her only child.

"Later, while her husband's brother, Tobirama Senju, took over as the Hokage, she watched the lives of shinobi and realized that it was a life unsuited to being a parent. One moment, you could be thinking of your child, the next you'd have a kunai sticking out of your throat, leaving your loved one alone in the world. An orphan was an even more delicate case. Most orphans do not get to truly enjoy love at a going age. Now imagine the psychological scar put on the child if his parents are suddenly killed on a mission."

Both women had looks of extreme sadness written on their faces. To be unloved, then to feel love only for that love to be ripped away was something that shouldn't even be _imagined_.

Seeing the looks on their faces, the elderly man decided that they understood enough to warrant the continuation of the explanation. "To deal with this, Mito-sama had it written into law that only a civilian-shinobi couple could adopt a child. That way, even with the loss of one parent, the child would still feel loved."

"Based on that law, only six couples in Konoha can adopt Naruto-kun." Rangiku said as her mind raced through eligible families for the young jinchūriki. "Unfortunately, none of them would be particularly interested. The Noyomanos, Kuroganas and the Asamas have all expressed no interest in adoption for the foreseeable future."

"And the other three?" Neko asked.

"All had loved ones lost in the Kyūbi's attack." Rangiku answered. "They will not be interested."

"And so we must find a way to make Naruto interested in becoming a shinobi." Neko stated.

"Momioka-san, you once told me that Naruto had the desire to grow stronger and make the village respect him right?" Hiruzen asked as his mind began to formulate a plan.

"Hai Hokage-sama. Why did you ask?"

"Because tomorrow, I'll show up at the orphanage. The Hokage is generally believed to be the strongest and most respected shinobi in the village right?"

"Hai?" Rangiku frowned in confusion.

"Well then, I'd say its time to inspire a new Hokage."

—~ ~—

"We're finally here gaki." Anko whispered to the blond resting on her shoulder beneath the trenchcoat.

It had taken close to an hour after leaving the Hokage's office to get to the orphanage.

First, she had to drop out of the shushin when she realized that, being young and untrained, her whiskered package had been having difficulty coping with breathing in the streamlined air zone of the body flicker.

Then, upon realizing that they'd have to walk (she'd be doing the actual walking though while he got a free grope of Konoha's must seen-but-untouched boobs since Tsunade) through the village. With their combined reputation and the festivities still going on strong at about an hour and a half since sundown, the purple haired chūnin decided to walk through the more hidden and shadowy areas of the village to reach her destination. Did it take time? Yes. Did it help them dodge unwanted sexual advances and mob beatings? Yes. Was losing that time worth it? Fucking yes in her opinion.

Shaking off the thoughts running through her mind, Anko reached out and turned the doorknob leading into the building.

The orphanage was pretty basic in its design. Essentially a ware house, it was divided into two levels: the upper levels were the rooms for the children with each room holding six children and the rear wall was used as a line of showers for them.

The lower level was for the caretakers. There were three rooms capable of accommodating three adults all en-suite. Only nine permanent workers were needed as majority of the other helpers were either shinobi or civilian volunteers. The actual kitchen was in a small annexed building directly beside the orphanage while another small section of the large space was cordoned off as the actual adoption office. The large space left was for the kids.

"It isn't half bad." Anko murmured as she walked into the building. "A little more color would be nice though. I mean is dull green really the color for a place with young kids? This village needs help. From Kami-sama herself."

Quietly, she walked deeper into the building, searching for any of the caretakers. It was as she walked by one of the tables with toys scattered across it that She felt a small tug on her coat. Looming down, shesaw a young girl, probably of the same age as the blond in her arms, with shoulder length red hair and rosy-peach skin tone. She also had vibrant red eyes that were now heavily droopy with sleep. "Hey. You looking for someone?"

The redhead yawned and nodded. "Ruto."

It took half a second for it to click in Anko's mind that she was asking for the blond in her arms. "Why? Are you his friend?"

The young girl nodded again. "Me and Tsu-chan like to play with Naruto. No one else does."

"Oh. And who's Tsu-chan?"

The sleepy girl pointed to a small sofa. On it lay another girl of similar stature to the one beside her but with silvery-gray hair.

"She's asleep now but I'll go tell her when Ruto's back."

"Alright. Hey, what's your name?" Anko asked as she adjusted the boy in her arms. 'Better get this over with quickly. My arm is going numb.'

"Me?" the girl asked and Anko nodded. "I'm Kazehana."

"Wind flower." Anko smiled. "It's a beautiful name."

"Thank you miss." Kazehana beamed. Just then, the bundle in the woman's arms shifted and she caught a glimpse of blonde hair and whisker like marks. "Ruto!" she cried in a happy whisper.

"Yeah." Anko relaxed. Anko knew the subtle differences between real looks and carefully designed fake looks due to both her sensei and the backlash of his treachery. The look of absolute joy that filled the young girl's face could not have been faked. "Sorry, I just wanted to know you first."

"That's OK." The girl shrugged as Anko gently removed the cloak she had covering him. "Most people don't like him in here. Can we take him to his room?"

"Sure. Wake your friend up and we'll go."

Immediately, Kazehana bounced over to the sofa her friend laid on and began to shake her. "Tsu-chan! Tsu-chan! Tsubame! Wake up!"

"Wh- what- whuzzat?" the other girl stammered as she woke up. After a few blinks to clear out the sleepiness, she glared at her friend. "Damn it Hana. I said you should wake me when Naruto gets back."

"He's back!" Kazehana replied. "The purple haired lady there brought him."

"Sure... The purple haired ~" Tsubame trailed off when she finally saw Anko standing a few feet away with a still asleep Naruto in her arms.

"Hey." Anko smirked. "Oh don't mind me. I'm just bringing a certain blond back here. Nothing to worry about."

The silver haired girl face-palmed. "I did it again didn't I?"

Kazehana just laughed. "Yeah you did."

Anko smiled at their exchange but then remembered that the Hokage had asked her to return to his office when she was done so she had to break the little dialogue up. "Much as I'd like to stay here a bit longer, I have to get going so, if you'll show me to the gaki's room, I'd appreciate it."

"Oh. Sorry." Both girls blushed shyly before leading her to the room.

"That's his bed there." Tsubame pointed at the mattress laid along the back wall before she flopped onto another quite closer to the door. "Good night."

"Typical Tsu-chan." Kazehana smiled as Anko gently laid the blond on his bed.

"Hey, Hana-chan? Tsu-chan? Can I ask you for a favour?"

"Uh... Yeah..." Kazehana replied.

"I guess..." Tsubame replied as she sat up.

"Don't stop being Naruto's friends." Anko said quietly, laying a hand on the blond's chest. "He might not show it and others might hate you for it but please don't stop being his friends."

The room was quiet for a while and Anko began to wonder if they'd even heard her.

Then, she saw two hands cover hers.

"He may be a blond idiot most of the time..." Tsubame began quietly.

"But he's our blond idiot." Kazehana finished. "Most of all, he's our friend."

"We won't stop being his friends... Just like he won't stop being ours."

Anko's lips quirked upwards as she pulled her hand off his chest. "That's what I wanted."

With that settled, Anko stood up and turned to leave.

"What do we call you miss?" Tsubame asked.

Anko froze for a second. What should she tell them? Her name was out of it. She didn't know the full reaches of the rumors about her and so she wouldn't want the kids to be afraid. Yet she couldn't really tell them some of her nicknames... Well...

"Just call me Dango-chan."

"Really?" Both echoed.

"Hey. I like the stuff." Anko shrugged. "And Kurosaki Ichigo's got to be the best at making the stuff. Maybe I'll treat you to a bowl there sometime. Ja ne!"

With that, she took off in a shushin.

Even after the leaves from the technique had dissipated, both girls were left with open mouths.

"Was she a-" Tsubame began when her brain finished rebooting.

"Yeah." Kazehana replied.

"I'm definitely going to be a kunoichi when I grow up."

"Yeah."

"Maybe we can get Naruto to join us? We could be a team!"

"Yeah."

Clearly, it was taking the redhead a bit longer to process what shed just seen...

—~ ~—

And... Done.


	3. Chapter 02

_**Chapter 2**_

"Rise and shine Blondie!" a voice above him yelled as he felt something get ripped off him.

While any other person would have yelled at having their sleep interrupted like that, the blond in question just groaned and pulled his pillow over his head to block out both the voice and the offending rays of sunlight that assaulted his closed eyelids.

He knew who the voice belonged to. While the orphanage hated him, they, at least occasionally, allowed him to sleep in. On these rare days, he was always awoken the same way: one, or sometimes even both, of his roommates would rip whatever cloth he used to cover himself off and...

"Hana? He isn't waking up!"

"Then it's settled." another voice intoned gravely. "DOG PILE!"

He had just enough time to tighten his muscles before both landed on him.

"Ahh... Kami damn it, Tsu-chan, Hana-chan! Do you always have to wake me up like that?" he moaned as he felt some of the aches from yesterday's beating flare up with pain.

Suddenly, as the memories of the last day's events ran through his mind, he sat up. "Wait. How am I even in here?"

Kazehana giggled. "You have a guardian angel!"

"Huh?"

Tsubame shook her head with a sigh at her friend's confusion. "A lady brought you here yesterday. Brown trenchcoat and purple hair."

'Purple hair?' the blond wondered. 'Momi-san has hair kinda like mine. I don't know any one with purple hair.'

"She brought you in yesterday, dropped you and left." Kazehana added. "She said we should call her Dango-chan."

"Dango-chan?" Now he was even more confused. Who named themself after a snack?

"She said she really likes the stuff." Tsubame added. "She even offered to take us to get some sometime."

"Really?" the blind asked. "Well, considering my luck, she probably just wants to poison me and get it over with."

"I don't think so." Kazehana shrugged. "We're pretty sure she's a kunoichi and if she wanted to kill you, she wouldn't have had to break the crowd she no doubt had to break to get you here only to poison you later."

"She's a kunoichi. A female ninja. The first thing ninjas learn is the art of deception." Naruto sighed. "Anyhow, what time is it?"

"Before we came to get your lazy butt up, it was close to ten AM. Must be about thirty minutes past now." Tsubame answered.

"Aww man! I didn't get to eat yesterday and I missed out on breakfast today?"

"Ah don't get your panties in a twist." Kazehana replied as she got off his bed and walked over to the small table in the corner of the room. "I saved you some rice balls and Tsubame held onto some sweet bean paste. Not your favorite, I know, but it's not like your in a hotel or something.

"Here. Courtesy of our kindness." She added as she handed over the small bowls of food.

"Thank you guys." Naruto smiled, dropping the food in his lap and pulling the girls into a brief hug. "You're the best."

—~ ~—

Work in an orphanage wasn't much to consider. In fact, it got very boring, very quickly.

It wasn't that the children weren't a handful... No, it was that their being a handful got repetitive. After the first... say half a dozen thrown tantrums, you got to know which kid threw which tantrum and which kids caused said tantrum. You could easily pin-point the different classes of kids: the bullies, divas, shy-as-fucks and so on. So it isn't that surprising that in an orphanage as boring as this, in a village as prominent as Konoha, the gossip-mill churns pretty much daily...

"So, did you hear what Rinha said she saw yesterday?" A red haired woman asked as she watched over the kids playing in the large field in front of them. "Ryu! Stop hitting Shen this instant!"

"Sorry!" The boy quickly apologized before running off to play again.

"No." Another woman replied as she sat down in the space her friend left for her. "I just started my shift an hour ago and serving all these young ones gets quite stressful. No time to hit the wire."

"Well, she said she saw the... boy being brought in yesterday by none other than the traitor's apprentice!"

The second woman gasped. "You mean..."

"Yes." The redhead nodded almost sagely. "The boy was brought in by Mitarashi."

"What is the snake bitch doing with the Kyūbi?"

"Quiet!" The redhead hissed at her friend. "The Third's law still stands! Or are you trying to get yourself killed? Because if so then leave me out of your death wish!"

"Forgive me. I was just stunned by the news. But what would the snake want with the boy?"

Suitably mollified by her friend's quick apology, the redhead shrugged. "Even Rinha doesn't know. She said that the bitch just carried the boy to its room and said something to those young girls it has corrupted."

"What did she say to them?"

"No clue. Rinha couldn't dare to get close enough to hear for fear of the snake knowing- Shinji! Be careful there!- of the snake knowing that she was there. She is a ninja after all."

"True. And she does have a reputation for being extremely callous and sadistic."

"Like that should be a surprise." The redhead snorted and rolled her neck. "She was taught by- Hokage-sama!"

Hearing the surprise in her friend's voice, the second woman turned toward the entrance to the orphanage to see...

"Hokage-sama!" She exclaimed in shock. It wasn't everyday the Hokage came to the orphanage. In fact, the last time he was here was just over two years now. So what could have brought him here now?

—~ ~—

Hearing his name (it was actually his title but less than a dozen civilians could call him by name so he was more used to answering to his title than his actual name), the old man turned to see those that had called him.

"Ah, Kaho-san, Ichiya-san." He acknowledged. He was sure of their names. It wasn't that hard to memorize the names of people especially when compared to memorizing the precise order and number of hand-seals required to utilize jutsu. "How are you today?"

"Fine thank you Hokage-sama." Both replied.

"And your families?"

Same reply as before.

Then Kaho, probably the more grounded of the two, asked for his reason for coming.

"Can't I just show up to see how an institution under my command is doing?" He answered with a small smile.

"Oh, um, I presumed that you might have some special reason for taking time out of your undoubtedly busy schedule to come here sir." Kaho replied with a small blush.

Hiruzen smile remained as he turned to face the entrance to the orphanage. "Well, to be honest, I did come for a reason." He finally answered without taking his eyes off the entrance. "I've already sent someone into the building to enquire about the reason. They should be out soon."

As if conjured by his words, Rangiku walked out of the building with Naruto, Kazehana and Tsubame in tow.

The old Hokage sighed. He'd noticed the way just about every eye within the vicinity locked onto the boy with various degrees of disgust, anger and hatred.

'Oh Kami. Between Minato and I, we've given the Kyūbi so much to work with that it's a surprise that Naruto-kun hasn't already given in to it.'

Yet, the boy laughed. Oblivious to the glares around him, he took the little fun he got from his friends and wrapped himself in it.

'No, he's not oblivious.' Hiruzen realized with a start. 'He feels everyone of their glares but he's ignoring them by focusing on the love he's feeling from his friends.'

Watching as the boy survived under all the hate thrown against him, the old Hokage made a decision in his heart. 'I may have made a lot of mistakes in my life, Naruto-kun, but I swear by Kami to do everything in my power to make your life better.'

"Thank you for your company, Kaho-san, Ichiya-san." He smiled at the ladies then strode towards his assistant and his old friend's child.

Time to fulfill a promise.

—~ ~—

"So, Momioka-san," Kazehana started as they walked out of the orphanage. "Who are we going to see?"

"An old man." the blonde replied. "A man who's become like a father to me."

"Wait." Naruto interrupted. "You dragged me out of the orphanage to meet an old geezer?"

Rangiku just laughed at the young boy's informal question. "Well, its not like you had much to do here right?"

"Heh, well, I could have slept." Naruto laughed, knowing that he'd been caught by the woman he'd come to see as a sort of aunt.

"Hah!" Tsubame scoffed. "Like you'd ever sleep during the day. You're like a hyper-charged battery that only shuts off at night!"

"Wait. What do you mean?" Rangiku asked as she led them further away from the orphanage.

"Naruto is always filled with energy." Kazehana explained. "It's like he has a sort of internal engine that's way more powerful than any other such engine. Before most of the kids in the orphanage started acting up, whenever the boys played, Naruto always out-lasted everyone else especially in running games."

"One of the boys even nicknamed him the 'Yellow Streak' because all that was ever really visible whenever they tried to catch him was the streak of blond hair." Tsubame added.

'Wonderful.' Rangiku groaned mentally. 'Like it's not bad enough that he had to look just like his dad, thanks to the Kyūbi he now gets a variant of his father's nickname? It wouldn't take the Tsuchikage half a second to figure out his paternal lineage.'

She was shaken out of her thoughts when Naruto tugged a bit too hard on her shirt sleeve, almost pulling her to the ground.

The tug, though, had just enough power to force her to duck low enough to dodge a pole that was protruding out on the street.

"Yeesh, Momioka-san, you should be more careful on the streets." Naruto chided sagely. "You shouldn't blank out like that or a randomly protruding pole from a construction project could take your head off."

The older blonde just rolled her eyes. "Oh I'm sorry, Naruto-jii-san. I was thinking of something very important to me. Or rather, someone."

Ignoring the snickering of his friends, Naruto fell into the role and sighed. "And therein lies the problem."

"I never would have guessed that you could act so well Naruto." Rangiku smiled as she continued walking.

He just shrugged. "Hidden talent I guess."

"So, Momioka-san, where are we going? " Kazehana asked.

"Kurosaki's." Rangiku answered. "He's a chef though he specializes in making sweet stuff. Konoha's resident dango expert swears that he's got the ultimate dango recipe and she always shows up there."

Tsubame poked her red head haired friend to get her attention. 'Think it's the same?'

'Could be.' Kazehana mouthed back.

"And we're here." Rangiku stated as she stopped by a bright blue door with the kanji for 'Ichigo' engraved on it.

Pushing on the door, she entered into the restaurant and headed straight for the bar with the kids following her.

"Yo Kurosaki-san!" She greeted.

A tall, lanky man with spiky orange hair turned to from the order he was taking further down the bar to see who had called him. Upon seeing her, he broke into a wide grin. Summoning another bartender to take over, he quickly walked over to their side.

"Ran! Kami, its been ages since I saw your beautiful face last! You should come in here more often. You brighten up the place."

"Aww... You sure you're not just saying that so that I can blow cash here again?" She smiled. Ichigo had been a close friend of hers since forever and she knew him better that most people. It was why she had chosen his place for the meeting that was to hold.

It had absolutely nothing to do with the heavenly dango that he could make. Nope, nothing at all.

"You wound me. Just to show you how much I care, the first bowl is on the house." It was then that he noticed the owl-eyed kids, watching them intently, standing just behind his friend. "Ok, Ran, when'd you begin to indulge kids in under aged drinking?"

The blonde scoffed. "Very funny. We both know I don't drink so let's just pretend that you didn't say that."

Then, she leaned over the bar to speak to him privately. "The boy's the... one."

To his credit, the chef's eyebrows barely shifted. "Interesting. Not what a demon would look like. But then again, he isn't the demon now is he?"

"He isn't." She affirmed. "We'll take a table for six round back. Charge it to my tab."

"Who else will show?"

"Your favorite customer and the Hokage. He'll be henged so you won't notice at first."

"Got it. Table nine. Farthest from the crowd, all comfortable seats for those important meetings that can only be settled with the aid of my dango."

"Thank you Ichi. I'll owe you one."

"You can payback now. Remember the Ichirakus?"

"You mean the old ramen chef and his daughter?"

"Yeah. They need a bigger stall. Help them with it and we're even again."

"No problem." With their little discussion over, Rangiku turned to the kids. "Ichi's given us a table round back. Let's go wait for my old man there."

—~ ~—

"Ichigo! Two bottles of Waterdrop Sake on the go!"

"Got it." The restauranteur replied as he caught the rolled up bills that was rolled down the countertop to him. After relaying the order to the cellar-boys, he quickly put the money through the cash register and sorted out the man's change. Just then, another man walked up to the bar and sat on a stool.

He looked pretty plain in his dark brown pants and lighter brown shirt.

After a about half a minute of sitting, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pipe.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. He'd been running this joint for close to four years now and he'd lived his life in Konoha yet he knew of only one person that smoked a pipe.

That a random stranger just happened to walk in and start smoking with such a peculiar device on the day Ran had just told him to expect the Hokage had to be the most unlikely coincidence in history.

Then, the pipe seemingly lit itself.

In a village full if people that could walk up walls and use shadows to control other people, lighting a pipe without a match wasn't special. However, it was enough to make him believe that this plain looking man was Ran's guest.

So he asked: "Looking for someone old timer?"

"Depends." The man replied evenly. "Got anyone worth my time?"

"You tell me."

Both men fell silent again and Ichigo used the lull in their conversation to collect the ordered drinks and hand them over, with the change and receipt, to an assistant of his with directions on who to give them to.

"Tell me, bartender-san, are blondes troublesome to you?" The man asked.

Ichigo was now very sure this was the Hokage speaking to him but knowing that he had come in under a henge, he decided to continue their conversation as before. "Only if their with young redheads and white haired brats."

The man's lips quirked upwards in to a smile. "I used to think they Ran away from their issues."

Upon hearing the emphasis on the word 'Ran', Ichigo smiled himself. "In my experience, they tend to head out back toward the ninth. It's usually more comfortable and hidden there."

He knew he'd said nonsense but it was just a ploy for the man to get the directions he needed.. Fuck making sense.

"Well then, thank you, bartender-san." The man nodded as he stood up. "Speaking with you has been very nice."

"No problem." Ichigo nodded back. Then, with a deeper nod, almost a bow really, he whispered: "Hokage-sama."

The man's smile grew almost imperceptibly then he was gone.

—~ ~—

As he approached the designated table, Hiruzen had to smile again as he remembered his interaction with Kurosaki Ichigo.

The man was still very sharp and, though he did not train to become a ninja, his observation and deduction skills ranked among the highest he had known.

'Now, to find table nine...' He thought as he slipped through the well concealed wall into Ichigo's backroom.

It was pretty easy to find them. All he had to do was follow the laughter.

"...and then blondie slipped two stairs from the bottom of the flight." A white haired girl choked out as she held her ribs in pain. He'd have rushed to her side if he didn't know that she was just laughing that hard. "He went sprawling with Hana landing on his head! I laughed about as hard as I'm laughing now!"

Directly opposite her, his secretary had traces of tears in her eyes, showing that whatever had just been said had been hilarious. "Tsu-chan, breathe. You've gotta calm down and breathe."

With her friends aid, the white haired girl finally managed to calm down enough to breathe properly, though the few occasional wheezes came through.

Deciding to use the opportunity to jump in, the disguised old man jumped into the seat beside his blonde secretary and stretched his limbs to disguise his wince as he felt his knee act up a bit.

"Ah! Great to know that a few people have learnt to have fun!"

The three kids just looked at the man who had just interrupted their conversation.

Being the boldest, Naruto was the one to pop the question on their minds. "Um... Who are you?"

He took on a shocked, almost disbelieving, look then turned to his secretary. "Rangiku-chan! You didn't tell them?! Are you so ashamed of me?"

On her part, Rangiku was simply amused to see the leader of her village have fun with the kids. She couldn't remember the last time the old man had been privileged to cut loose like this and it pleased her to know that even through three wars, Sarutobi Hiruzen still had a nice, non-cynical sense of humor.

Unfortunately, the fun and games were over and the time to initiate their plan to help Naruto had to be thrust into full gear...

After giving the necessary signals to him, Rangiku turned to the kids to talk to them. "The man sitting before you is the same as the one I told you about earlier. He's just happy to meet you and decided to have fun with you a bit."

At that point, the Hokage dropped the henge in a burst of smoke.

"By the way, he's also the most powerful man in the village." Rangiku added as the smoke cleared to reveal an older looking man with crow-feet at the corners of his eyes.

"Hello."

—~ ~—

Enough! Dear God! I never could have imagined just how difficult it is to break the damned writer's block!

Now, in order to save my sanity, I'll give you guys an overview of the things that happened between this chapter and the next. Because the next chapter occurs after a major time-skip.

"After the meeting with the Hokage and, later on, Anko, Naruto and his friends are given the keys to an apartment and the first of the monthly checks. Anko takes the place of their caretaker and Rangiku and the Hokage promise to visit whenever they can.

Meanwhile, thanks to the great impression Anko and Hiruzen make on them, they all decide to become ninja, with Naruto declaring that he'll become a Kage and be the greatest the world has ever known.

A year later, they are enrolled into the Academy and begin their journey.

Naruto, taking advice from Anko, decides to channel the hatred the village displays toward him into pranks against the village. Seeing an opportunity to put whatever he's been taught to good use, he increases the scale of the pranks and wears the infamous 'orange jump suit' to push his quasi-training to the limits.

On and on they go until they finally graduate..."

OK, I know, I'm a lazy bastard and all that but I am being honest when I tell you that if I had attempted to add the above into a chapter then the story would have come to a complete stop.

I will work (in my spare SPARE time) on creating a chapter to explain the summary above but that'll come secondary to the actual story. When done, I will post it. Either as an extra chapter or a new story. Something like an 'exclusive writer's cut out chapter' thing.

Anyhow, until next time, Please Review.

The Ethereal Lord.


	4. Chapter 3

OK. Before I begin, let me apologize again for the last chapter. I simply had to post it like that because:

I couldn't seem to push beyond the evil that is writers block and;

I promised a someone that I'd have the chap up by Friday. And, as far as I'm concerned, you mustn't break a promise if you're writing a Naruto fic. It goes against the unspoken rules of Naruto.

Now, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I just realized that I'd never done this before. Well, it's a one time thing so here it is:

I do not own Naruto or other anime characters that might appear in this story. I only own the 'Altered' concept of the fic.

There.

 _ **Chapter 3- Revelation**_

 _ **Five Years Later...**_

It was yet another beautiful day in Konoha. The sun shone brightly yet wasn't uncomfortable, the wind blew gently and nature just seemed to kick back to enjoy the day.

Outside the Konohagakure Ninja Academy, the beauty of the day was only enhanced by the sight of so many parents sharing in the joy of their children.

It was the last day of school for this session and though the children knew that the next session would begin less than a month from then, they were still very excited to be able to spend more hours playing ninja with their friends.

However, the final year students were even more happy. The final year exams had just been concluded and now they had obtained their hitai-ate, the proof of their graduation into the ranks of the ninja. Sure, they were still genin, the lowest in the ninja ranks, but, as the saying went 'even the mighty oak once began as naught but a little seed.' All they had to do now was work hard and live long enough to reap the reward of their hard work.

One child wasn't smiling, though.

Sitting alone on his favorite swing in the play pen for the youngest students, a young boy dressed in what could only be described as a 'kill-me orange' jumpsuit with a mop of unruly blond hair stared at the world around him with unblinking eyes, his mind lost in thought and only the gentle creak of the swing as it moved making any sound around him.

'I failed again. Fortieth time I'm fucking up the bunshin jutsu and it costs me the chance to fulfill my dream...'

"Sorry Uzumaki-san, but to graduate you must be at least moderately competent in ALL the ninjutsu taught here at the Academy. How can you be expected to amount to anything if you cannot learn just three D-rank ninjutsu after years of being taught?"

'Was Hibiki-sama right? Am I so horrible as to be unable to completely learn one simple jutsu? Tsu-chan and Hana-chan should be finishing their exams now yet here I am... Nothing but the village's idiotic prankster...'

"Hey Naruto."

The familiar, yet unfamiliar, voice jarred him out of his thoughts and he glanced at the one who had called him. It was Mizuki, one of the teachers at the Academy.

Starting out, the man had acted just like virtually everyone else did to him: uncaring, angry and disgusted.

However, starting just six months back, the chūnin had gradually began to act less like as ass to him. It had started out small, from simple compliments, to mind blowing. Just last week, he had taken the blond's side in an argument against Sasuke. Like, the Rookie of the Year, Last Uchiha, Prodigy Sasuke.

Naruto would have been the ass if he had shunned the older man's greeting and Uzumaki Naruto was NOT an ass.

"Mizuki-sensei!" He greeted in an obnoxiously loud voice. "What are you doing out here?"

The man frowned at him. "Drop it."

Naruto was confused. "But, Mizuki-sensei, I wasn't holding anything."

"The mask." Seeing the still confused look on the boy's face, the white haired chūnin sighed. "There's a lot you guys in your generation have to learn being about being a ninja. Because we aren't at war with anyone, the curriculum has changed. Back in my time, we learnt a lot more than you. One of the things we learnt was emotions. Both how to control them and how to use them in a fight against our enemies."

Naruto was raptly listening now as the chūnin spoke of his past.

"Beyond those, we also learnt how to mask emotions in situations where they couldn't be controlled and how to know when a comrade was wearing an emotional mask. I remember that it was Ino's grandpa that taught us that.

My point is, I noticed how downtrodden you looked before I got here and how that suddenly evaporated when I greeted you." Mizuki chuckled. "That an emotional mask kid."

The blond just sighed. Talk about busted. "Well, what do you want Mizuki-sensei?"

The white-haired chūnin looked off into the distance and, as he did, his face began to show signs of tiredness and regrets. "I came here to apologize."

Silence fell over them and for the next couple of minutes, Naruto struggled to understand what the man was getting at.

"I know I haven't been very fair to you throughout most of your stay here. In fact, I've been a downright asshole. And for that... I'm sorry."

"Um... Well... It's okay Mizuki-sensei." Naruto replied slowly as he tried to get through the situation that he couldn't seem to process. "You started acting pretty cool a while ago."

"Thank you, Naruto."

Again, silence fell over the two. Then:

"You know, having reanalyzed your performance with Iruka the other day, I have to say... You're quite the intelligent and resourceful person."

"Me?" Naruto looked bewildered. "Heck no. I can't perform any genjutsu, my taijutsu is sloppy and I can't even perform all three ninjutsu!"

"To be honest, you're right." Mizuki affirmed. "Your bunshin sucks, your taijutsu is sloppy and your genjutsu is nonexistent."

Instantly, the blond's countenance hit the ground.

"However... Iruka and I have more than one reason to believe that all that is because of teachers like me. People who specifically sabotaged you to make sure you failed."

"And you believe that because..."

"Most chūnin level ninja cannot pull out half the pranks you succeeded in." Mizuki stated. "In the past two years, you've: hit the Hyūga clan head with itching powder in his own home; you had the Jōnin covered in glitter... Thrice... And, the greatest of all, you... redesigned the entire Hokage monument. In one night.

The level of skill needed to do all those, the level of planning... That's not something that can be taught. That's why the Nara are respected as geniuses. Their intelligence is practically instinctual. You have a similar form of intelligence."

"Really?" Naruto asked with hope. burning in his eyes. Here was a man who had hated him as much as the rest of the village until he had his eyes opened. If anyone could give him an absolutely honest dissertation on his skills, here he was.

"Really." Mizuki smiled. "And that's not all. Beyond the planning, your execution is perfect. No one ever has a clue that your going to prank them until you're done. In fact, if you didn't go about yelling how you pulled those stunts, you'd be a perfect example of a ninja.

Then, I've had the... privilege of being on the recieving end of some of your escape plans. Your skill with trapping, your knowledge of Konoha and that insane brilliance that you're hiding has resulted in you escaping from groups that include Hyūga, Inuzuka and Aburame trackers. How Iruka always catches you is still one hell of a mystery."

"You too huh?" Naruto muttered.

"My point is, if these were war times, your skill level would put you on high genin already."

"I'd have been promoted?"

"How'd you think Kakashi-san got promoted so quickly? Practical skills were rated way higher than theoretical." Mizuki explained.

"Woah..."

Mizuki paused, allowing his words to sink through the blond before continuing: "Now, Naruto, I didn't just come here to chit-chat. Iruka would have been here with us but he had to be in the class to let them know of the team selections that will come up tomorrow. The real issue is this: I have a way to graduate you."

If he could, Naruto would have flown. Instead, he just bit his lower lip and asked "Really?"

On hearing the question, Mizuki pulled out a brown envelope from his jacket and dropped it on Naruto's lap. "Rock Lee. Graduated last year under slightly different circumstances."

Upon perusing the contents of the envelope, Naruto glanced at the white haired man. "He couldn't mold chakra?"

"Official statement. The real problem was that his chakra circulation system was highly underdeveloped. According to Academy rules, without being able to use the three Academy level ninjutsu, he was basically destined to be a failure."

"So how'd he graduate?"

"Well, there's a sort of bypass law that basically allows either a jōnin level ninja or two chūnin level nin to pick out a student for training. Usually, only the jōnin bother since they can have the new apprentice merged with their genin team, if they have, to avoid setting said apprentice back by a year. In Lee's case, he was picked by Maito Gai and added to the current team nine of Neji Hyūga and Higarashi Tenten. Lee is now a taijutsu beast, said to be able to take on virtually every chūnin level nin, in a purely taijutsu battle, in Konoha."

"Woah... And you and Iruka-sensei want to do that? For me?"

"Yeah." The chūnin smiled. "Consider it my apology and Iruka's gift for being his student. However. There is a test."

'I knew this was way too easy.' A dry voice in Naruto's mind spoke. 'Ah well... Let's hear it.'

As if responding to the voice, Mizuki continued: "You will need to sneak into the Hokage's office and steal a pretty big scroll. It contains all the sealing paper the Hokage uses."

"Heck no!" Naruto yelled. "There's no way I'm stealing from oji- Hokage-sama!"

"Calm down Naruto!" Mizuki ordered. "I understand that you do not want to do what might amount to a crime but listen to the full details.

You will infiltrate the Hokage's office, extract the Scroll of Seals and exfiltrate the building. Then, you will meet me at a specific location to pass. The purpose of this test is to prove that you don't require the bunshin jutsu. Generally, the bunshin is a distraction technique. If you can prove that you can do this without the bunshin then Iruka and I can work our magic."

Naruto sat back with an angry scowl on his face. On one hand, he wanted to graduate and this was his only available chance.

On the other hand, his subconscious kept warning him of how dangerously stupid this idea was.

'Anko-nee always told me to grab life by the balls...'

With a resigned sigh he asked: "What else do I need to know about the test?"

'Idiot.'

—~ ~—

"Kazehana!"

Instantly, the redhead snapped to attention, hands placed on the table, fingers interlocked and the very definition of a concentrating look slapped on her face.

Too bad the one who'd called her was a pro at her job.

"Misora-san, may I get an explanation to why you were asleep during my talk?"

'Go jump off the Hokage monument.' Kazehana snarled mentally. 'If you weren't so boring and so much of a bitch then maybe I'd be awake to listen to your thrash.'

On the outside, however, she simply dropped the 'serious girl' act. "I'm sorry, Hibiki-sama, I guess the backlog of pulling an overnighter to prepare for the exams is beginning to hit."

"Are you sure?" Hibki asked. "That blond delinquent didn't keep you up with his ramblings?"

Around the classroom, four people bristled at the older woman's words: A young, shy looking girl with pupil-less lavender eyes felt her chakra travel to her fingertips in preparation for a jyūken strike. "N-Na-Naruto-kun is n-not a d-delinquent!" She whispered furiously to the amusement of the glasses wearing boy beside her;

Down at the podium, beside the offender, a man with black hair done up in a ponytail and with a scar across his nose broke the pencil in his hand as he clenched his fist. 'Naruto is not a delinquent!';

Seated beside Kazehana, a silver haired girl nearly spat at the offender. 'Blondie is NOT a delinquent.'

Finally, the redhead herself was a hairsbreadth away from slamming her fist into her Head teacher's face. Instead, she just pasted one of Naruto's patented smiles on her face.

"No, Hibiki-sama, Naruto is rarely ever a disturbance at home."

"Humph." Hibiki breathed in annoyance. 'Of course you would defend the him. The bastard demon must have some hold over your souls.' "Let me know if he ever is a nuisance. Back to the discussion, you must show up here tomorrow before nine am to be assigned to your new teams and your jōnin-sensei."

"By Kami she's a bitch!" Tsubame swore quietly. "What, does she get off on being a total asshole?"

"That would be a yes." Kazehana replied sullenly. "Seen Naruto yet?"

"Not since the last time you asked which, if I recall correctly, was before your little nap."

The redhead sighed. "He's probably back home."

"True. If he isn't then we should go check out the Ichiraku's and the Hokage monument."

"Class dismissed." Hibiki called out. "I wish you the best in your careers. Good day."

Immediately she walked out, the class burst into a hive of activity.

"Kazehana, Tsubame!" Kiba called out. "Most of us are heading over to Chōji's dad's restaurant! Wanna join?"

"We'll take a rain check on that." Tsubame replied as she walked toward the exit with Kazehana.

Just before they left, they heard Sakura yelling something and so they stopped to listen.

"... The guy's just a stupid dead-last! They should at least have eyes for someone better!"

With a roll of their eyes, they walked out.

"I still wonder why Naruto is so hooked up on her." Tsubame mused. "She's not even that pretty."

"Hey." Kazehana shrugged. "He says that he saw her in a dream."

"I call bullshit."

"So do I but if he enjoys getting rejected who am I to get in the way of his fun?"

—~ ~—

"For Kami's sake! Where is that blond haired bastard?!"

"Calm down, Tsu-chan, I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

"The question for the day is where?" Kazehana shot back before slurping on her noodles.

It was now well into the night, more than twelve hours after they'd left the Academy. In that time, they had searched just about every corner of the village, starting from their shared home to the top of the Hokage Monument and every where in between. Now, they once again found themselves at their favorite food stand in the village: Ichiraku's Ramen.

"You guys seem go be forgetting that for the past two years, he's been evading and hiding from at least, moderately trained trackers." Ayame, daughter of the stand's owner and their second surrogate sister stated calmly as she wiped the countertop. "If he doesn't want to be found, I doubt if even you guys can find him."

"Crap." Tsubame sighed. "I know it's true, but still, crap."

"Guess you guys have no choice but to wait for him to get back home." Ayame smiled. Inside, though, she was really worried. For all of the blond's unpredictability during his pranks and the subsequent escapes, Naruto was actually very predictable. You just had to know him well enough and, after knowing him for five years, she knew well enough that if he wasn't with the Hokage, with Anko, on the Hokage monument or in what he called his personal training ground, the now deserted training ground four, then he'd be here, stuffing his face with ramen. 'Where are you Naruto-kun?'

Just then, she was broken out of her thoughts when Kazehana called out to her. "Yes, Hana-chan?

"I'd just like to ask, why does everyone hate Naruto?"

Instantly, the older teen froze.

—~ ~—

The grin that was stretched across his face as he sped through the forest was, by any measure, huge.

'OK. I may have my reservations about this whole test scenario but seeing the old man's reaction after using the Oiroke henge was awesome!' He thought as he ducked beneath a low hanging branch. 'By Kami! That nosebleed must have cleared over two feet!'

'Concentrate.' Another part of him snapped. 'I may not agree with this plan but it would not do if we get to the rendezvous point late because you lost focus.'

'Fine.' Naruto rolled his eyes. 'We're almost there anyways.'

A few minutes later, he burst into a clearing of about fifty feet radius. Directly opposite him, there was a small shed.

'Now, pop open that scroll and let's see what's in it.' The other voice stated.

'No!' Naruto argued back. 'That wasn't part of the test!'

'Well, logically speaking, if it contains just sealing paper, then we could just have a laugh. If it doesn't and instead has something like jutsu, then how awesome would that be?'

'But... Ah fine!'

With that, Naruto pulled a seal off the scroll and unrolled a portion of it.

'The Forbidden Scroll of Seals; herein lies the totality of the most powerful jutsu in Konohagakure, gracefully offered by clans and individuals... This contains powerful ninjutsu!'

'Told ya. Did you bring your journal?'

'It's right here.' Naruto quickly replied as he put his hand into a pocket in his cargo shorts. Quickly, he pulled out a thick notepad and a pencil. 'Sharpened. Good. Now, which do I pick...'

For the next couple of minutes. Naruto, with skill and speed coming from years of practice, quickly copied down different jutsu.

'Hm... Kage bunshin... Hell yeah. Sennen... OH HELL YEAH! Way too Much prank potential!'

A few minutes later, he heard a rustle of leaves. 'Someone's coming!'

In a flash, he had packed up his writing material and rolled the scroll back up.

Just as he slapped the seal back on the scroll, someone burst into the clearing.

"I knew you could do it!" Mizuki smiled as he saw the blond standing guard over the scroll. "Greatest ninja in the Elemental Nations, here we come!"

"Oh yeah!" Naruto yelled with a fist pump. "And you're gonna be the greatest sensei in the world!"

'Not to burst this touching little bubble but he smells of snakes. And not the friendly snakes we know.'

—~FLASHBACK~—

"Some of the most well known summons and their summoners include: the Toads, summoned by Jiraiya-sama and Yondaime-sama; the Slugs, summoned by Tsunade-sama; the Monkeys, summoned by our current Hokage, Sandaime-sama; and the Snakes, summoned by the former member of the now defunct Densetsu no Sannin, Orochimaru and his former student, Chūnin Mitarashi-san. Any questions?"

—~RETURN~—

'Could Mizuki-sensei be working with Orochimaru?' Naruto wondered. 'That Scroll...'

'Contains extremely powerful ninjutsu that could, in the wrong, or right, depending on your perspective, be used to level a village.'

"OK. For completing this, I have two rewards for you. First-" Mizuki put his hand behind him and Naruto tensed imperceptibly. The white-haired guy just pulled or a scroll and unrolled it. "This is a jutsu scroll. Its for the Suiton: Suiben. As an advice, I'd say you should put your hand in a pool of water when you start out. When mastered, you'll be able to create a whip of water from the moisture in the air."

"Woah. Thank you Mizuki-sensei." Naruto smiled as he rolled up the scroll. "What's the second reward?"

Mizuki's smile disappeared to be replaced with a look of absolute sadness. "It's about you, Naruto. Tell me, have you ever wondered why the villagers hate you?"

'Gaki. I don't think you should listen to him.' The voice warned insistently. 'He might be a traitor.'

Naruto just ignored his mind and replied: "Well, I do but I just summed it up to transferred aggression. I mean, I'm the only child to have survived the attack of the Kyūbi that occurred on my birthday."

"That is a very intelligent deduction, Naruto." Mizuki nodded, still solemn. "However, while you are right about the transferred aggression, the reason is not just because you survived that day. Its because... Wait. Let's hit a crash course through chakra studies.

Naruto what do you understand by the term 'chakra'?"

—~ ~—

"Ayame-nee, you haven't answered my question." Kazehana stated calmly as the older teen hastily locked up the stand and pushed the girls into the stairwell leading to the apartment where she lived with her father.

"Hana-chan," Ayame breathed as she locked the door to the apartment. "What if I told you that answering that question could kill me?"

Kazehana dropped onto a large pillow on the floor. Her face, as the other two in the room looked on, conveyed a wide range of emotions. From a satisfied smile to an almost empty look to a look of hatred and disgust.

"Hey, Hana? You got me a tad worried here." Tsubame shivered slightly. "You mind explaining to me?"

"You know how absurdly intense I get when I get an idea into my head?" She asked to which Tsubame nodded. "Well, a while ago, I began to wonder why people hate Naruto so much. I mean, as far as I know, he hasn't done anything to deserve the shit the villagers pile on him. So, a year ago, I began to pool facts together. Things that doesn't seem important when looked at individually began to make way more sense when viewed from the right angle with all the facts in place."

"Such as?" Tsubame prompted.

"Naruto's birth date. October tenth..."

"Twelve years ago. The day the Kyūbi attacked."

"Exactly. Records show that Naruto's the only child left alive that was born on that day. He's also the only non-ninja child left alive from that year. All others died."

"How?" Tsubame asked.

"The reports of various people states that the amount of killing intent, whatever that is, unleashed by the Kyūbi was so powerful and so potent that it stopped the hearts of many civilians. Most especially caught by this were the newly born children of under a year. While the children of the ninja clans survived by being somehow shielded by other clan members, the civilian children had no such protection and so they died."

"So how did Naruto-kun survive?" Ayame asked, now fully interested in knowing just how far her younger sister had gone in figuring out her friend's burden.

"I'll get to that, nee-san." The red eyed girl replied. To her silver haired friend she asked: "Tsubame can you remember what Mizuki-sensei taught us on the definition of chakra?"

Her friend's gray eyes lost focus for a second before they sharpened again. "Chakra is the unique energy used by ninja to perform ninjutsu. It is the unique mix of the spiritual energies of the mind combined with the physical energies of the body."

"And what makes energy special?"

The silver haired girl frowned in confusion until the realization struck. "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed..."

—~ ~—

"Just transformed from one form to another." Naruto finished.

"Exactly." Mizuki confirmed. "The Kyūbi is a mass of highly volatile chakra, but chakra all the same."

"So the history lessons were wrong?" Naruto asked in confusion. "The Yondaime died battling the Kyūbi without killing it?"

Mizuki shook his head. "Yondaime-sama did take care of the demon. There are aspects of the ninja arts that you haven't been taught due to the changes in the curriculum. One of such is the near total removal of fūinjutsu."

"Sealing techniques? But we practiced those in the last few months."

"Yes, you practiced how to seal weapons into scrolls. Fūinjutsu goes way beyond that. And the Yondaime was beloved to be the greatest seal master since the time of the original sealing experts: the Uzumaki."

"Wait. So my name isn't just a fluke?"

"It isn't. The Uzumaki name was tied to the inhabitants of the now extinct Uzushiogakure no Sato. 'The Home of Seals' as it was called." Mizuki stated. "The Yondaime, using fūinjutsu, defeated a creature that was, in almost every way, immortal..."

Gradually, as the chūnin spoke, Naruto grasped the meaning of his words. "He used the Uzumaki sealing techniques..."

—~ ~—

"... To seal the chakra of the Kyūbi away." Tsubame gasped and Kazehana nodded.

"Exactly. By sealing away its chakra, the Yondaime, in effect, sealed away the Kyūbi."

"But why Blondie?" Tsubame questioned. "There had to be some other child. Hell, why couldn't he seal the Kyūbi into himself? Why subject a baby to such a fate?"

"I don't know." Kazehana sighed. "I tried to get some more information but the records I'd have needed were classified. Getting the medical records were hard enough."

"So, the Yondaime, who sealed an entity of volatile, demonic, chakra into a child less than a day old is the hero while Naruto, who has a mass of hatred stuck in his gut without any choice of his own is turned into a pariah?"

Kazehana just shrugged sadly while Ayame was in tears.

"That's it. We're going to the Hokage's office." Tsubame stated. "He's going to tell us every damned thing that happened on that day."

—~ ~—

He watched as the blond sat, facing away from him, in abject sorrow.

It should have been sad to see a child that was so young experiencing such pain but the being in front of him was no child.

Reaching into his weapon pouch, he pulled out a kunai and walked toward the boy.

"Naruto?" He called as he moved closer. "Are you okay?"

"I'll- I'll be fine Mizuki-sensei." The boy sniffed.

"Good... Now..." Mizuki placed his weapon free hand on the boy's shoulder.

Then, with speed worthy of his rank, he grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck and rammed him into the closest tree... Once... Twice... Thrice... As the boy's head rolled about dizzily, he punched him twice in the stomach before turning him around and pinning him against the tree.

"Did you think I liked you?" He asked as he increased the pressure on the boy's neck. "Do you think anyone likes you? You aren't human. You're a demon! You destroyed a great part of the village. You'll die here without anyone caring!"

Even with the pressure on his neck turning his face blue, the boy still managed to choke out a single, mangled out word: scroll.

"Ah... That..." Mizuki's grin grew even larger. "Orochimaru-sama contacted me. He offered me great power if I could get that scroll for him. Using you was just icing on the cake."

—~ ~—

Naruto had been the subject of various beatings before. In fact, by the time he was seven, he had survived more than twelve mob beatings, six poison attempts and one outright murder attempt.

Through it all, he had learned to recognize most emotions by merely studying a person's body language, listening to their words and the slight shifts in tone and by looking their eyes.

Looking into the eyes of the man that was choking the life out of him, all the young blond could see was madness. Not the regular pain not the disgust nor the hatred.

Just madness.

And it terrified him.

'Hey!' A voice snapped at him. It was the same voice that had been with him as far back as he knew. Always pushing him to stay alive. To get stronger. 'Remember that promise you made to yourself. '

'I will grow stronger.' Naruto affirmed.

'So, are you going to let some treacherous bastard kill you? You just gonna leave Kazehana and Tsubame?'

'Hell no!' The blond roared mentally as he lashed out with both legs.

Luck some down on the young blond as the shock of the kick coupled with its point of impact was able to crack two of the chūnin's ribs, forcing him to let go.

Taking the little chance he had, Naruto rolled forward, gasping for breath as he moved, to grab the scroll. With all the strength and speed he had developed from evading capture back home, he sprinted toward the forest line.

'Get down!' The voice in his mind yelled as an odd, buzzing sound reached his ears. Without time to hesitate, he threw himself onto the ground. Less than a second later, he heard a thunk and looked up to see a fūma shuriken buried halfway into a tree. Just as he began to push himself up he felt a heavy force slam into his back.

"This is where you belong demon! Beneath my fo-"

Mizuki was cut off as a dark blur rammed into him, throwing him off Naruto.

"Are you okay Naruto-kun?" A voice asked as he was helped up.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes, its me." The scarred chūnin replied with a smile. "Now, are you okay?"

'Iruka-sensei's here... But Mizuki said he was working with Iruka-sensei. Do I trust him?' Naruto thought.

Noticing the Mizuki standing up, he came to a decision. "I'm good sensei."

'In league with Mizuki or not, he'd have to at least try to make me believe that he's in my side. The brief moment of fighting will be all I need.'

"Now..." Iruka turned to glare at the now standing traitor. "To deal with this scumbag."

"You? Deal with me?" Mizuki sneered. "You'd best give up now Iruka. Unlike you I never stopped training!"

"Yes, well..."

The next moment, Iruka vanished from his position and Mizuki was rocked by a heavy impact on his cheek.

"... Neither did I!"

Naruto was awed. This was his first time of seeing ninja truly fight and it was like nothing he had ever seen before. The true shock came from Iruka.

After four years of being taught in the Academy, he had come to believe that all the chūnin teachers were the mediocre ninja, relegated to simply teaching because they were never good enough to go on actual missions.

Seeing Iruka now battling Mizuki, constantly forcing the treacherous nin to battle defensively lest he sustain a grievous wound changed his view of the scarred man.

'We don't have time to watch! Get that scroll back to the Hokage and maybe we can sad l salvage something out of this mess.'

Once again, he took the advice and, after securing the seal in his arms, he took off, sprinting through the forest.

Just as he leapt over a fallen log, something wrapped tightly around his feet, forcing him to land heavily on his right side.

Pantkng, the blond pushed himself to a seating position and tried to see what had tied his ankles. In the sparse moonlight he was just able to see a going of light around his ankles. 'Damn! Its ninja wire!'

'Here he comes!'

The thought had scarcely made sense to him before he felt something slam into the back of his head sending him sprawling face first into the dirt.

"You little bastard." Mizuki scoffed as he walked toward the boy. "The universe must just love demons for useless garbage like you to still be around."

Naruto, muscles aching and all, still turned his head to face the chūnin. The man looked battered, his face had at least two bruises, his flak jacket was ripped and his hair had brownish spots with twigs in it. "Looks like Iruka-sensei did a great job on you."

Angered by the boy's comment, Mizuki stomped on his back thrice in rapid succession.

'Still alive?' The voice asked.

'I dont plan to die here. Though a little help wouldn't be turned away.' Naruto groaned.

'Begin the following hand seals...'

"Oh you're right. He did score a number on me. Too bad he couldn't spot the differences between me and the tsuchi bunshin I substituted with. By the time it struck him, he had half a dozen kunai embedded in his back.

You should be happy to know that the scarred fool is on his way to meet the Shinigami!" Mizuki snarled. "Don't worry though! You'll be following soon!"

Hands hidden beneath his curled up body, Naruto's lips curled up into a dismissive sneer. "You? Kill me? You wish."

Then, with an explosive flare of chakra, he yelled: "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

—~ ~—

Crawling through forest foliage with six kunai buried halfway into your back was not an easy task as Iruka had the unfortunate pleasure of discovering. However, knowing the fate that lay ahead of his young friend if he left the traitor spurred him to claw his way toward the sound of Mizuki's voice.

Finally, he was able to push through some shrubs and see the white haired bastard standing over Naruto.

"... You'll be joining him soon!"

Iruka pulled out a senbon from his pouch, ignoring the pain in his back as he did, and took aim at the traitor. One direct hit and the fast acting paralysis serum should take its effect in seconds.

"You? Kill me? You wish!"

A split second later, Iruka felt a wave of chakra wash over him.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

His eyes nearly popped out as over a hundred Narutos popped into existence.

Naruto, his student, the dead-last of his set, had just performed an S-ranked kinjutsu! On a level that probably no one else could!

"Let's go!" One yelled and the rest roared their assent.

Mizuki never stood a chance. Against up to five clones he would definitely have come out victorious. Against up to twenty and he'd be hard pressed to win.

Against over a hundred? Epic beat down of painful proportions for the chūnin.

Ten minutes later, the traitor was a bloody, unconscious heap on the forest floor and the remaining blond clones puffed out of existence.

"I-Iruka-sensei..." Naruto gasped as the fatigue of the day's events finally caught up to him. "I did it."

"Yes, you definitely did Naruto-kun." Iruka smiles as he pulled himself closer to the boy, pausing to stab the senbon into Mizuki as he went.

Reaching the him, the scarred chūnin raised a hand to the back of his head to undo the knot holding his hitai-ate. The cloth-bound bound metal dropped to the floor and Iruka gingerly picked it up and placed it over the goggles resting on Naruto's forehead.

"Congratulations, Naruto-kun."

In the distance, they heard sounds of "Over here!" and "That way!".

Finally, knowing that allies were on their way, Naruto's head dropped onto Iruka's side and the chūnin rested his hand over the boy.

"Welcome to the ninja ranks of Konohagakure no Sato. You deserve it Naruto-kun."

—~ ~—

And... Done!

Whoo! Another one completed.

Any and all questions will be addressed by the next chapter.

Altered: Ch 4- Fallout should be up in two to three weeks time. Sorry for the long update time but I believe its better to surprise you than to dissapoint you guys.

Thank you very much.

Please R&R people!

The Ethereal Lord.


	5. Chapter 4- Fallout

To The BOOM: The prologue has two major rl functions. 1- it explains the title and pretty much the major plot line in the story. Future Naruto, pretty much like Kishimoto's Naruto, was in team 7, the team split, Akatsuki, pointless training by Jiraiya etc. The major change here is that Kaguya never made it back. Madara killed Zetsu and finalized the Tsuki no Me. Also, this Tsuki no Me is different. Unlike the original, this acts more like Shisui's Kotoamatsukami. It implants suggestions in the mind then ensures that the suggestions are followed. Naruto only broke out because Kurama planned a backdoor in Naruto's mind to counter the subliminal suggestions. Having broken out, Naruto used fūinjutsu to create a time reversal seal. That's what brought him back to the scene in the prolog. In this timeline, he made a number of changes to try and ensure that Madara won't be returning. However, he cannot return to a point where he does not exist and he cannot, knowingly, reveal his existence in this timeline as of yet. 2: I needed a legitimate reason for Naruto to maintain his crush on Sakura during his Academy years. That's not Future Sakura's only purpose but that was a part of it. Remember, he was awake at the very end of the chapter and managed to snag a look at both.

I also want to add this: Sakura's addition was not fluke. I added her because she best suits my definition of a possible escapee from my version of the Tsuki no Me. Why? Her inner personality. This Tsuki no me plants subliminal suggestions into minds and Sakura has a subconscious personality. It is definitely possible for her to have broken free of the infinite Tsukuyomi via her never-truly-developed inner personality. I hope I made a tad bit of sense.

Now, onto the story!

— _ **~ ~—**_

 _ **Chapter 4- Fallout**_

"Hokage-sama!"

Said man sighed tiredly. At his well advanced age, he had pretty much seen and done it all.

Survive three Shinobi World Wars? Check.

Earn the coveted title of Kage? Did it. Twice.

Train three of the most badass ninja in the world? Did that before age thirty.

Become renowned as the 'Shinobi no Kami?' Yup.

So, considering his pretty impressive (OK... AMAZINGLY impressive) track record, it got very annoying whenever life decided to prove that he had no control over anything.

Today for example: His suceeding-predecessor's son had stolen one of the Village's most important documents and he had done so with such ease that it was just disgusting. Oiroke No Jutsu and its derivatives were going into the Forbidden Scroll as A-ranked Kinjutsu.

Then, young Kazehana Misora and Tsubame Kaguya, Naruto's best friends had practically stormed in, demanding to know why the Village hated their best bud. He didn't get a chance to even attempt a denial before the redhead had stated her findings to him. Considering the fact that the same girl, sitting beside her best friend directly opposite him, was barely above average in her class, it was clear that the Academy had in no way attempted to explore just how intelligent the girl was. They must have been too busy with the clan heirs.

To compound the problem, while he was explaining to the girls why he hadn't told Naruto, the crystal orb on his desk glowed orange and gave off an ominous feel. Mizuki was about to kill the blond. Of course, having a selfish being of immense power stuck in his gut guaranteed, at the very least, a battle that would pressure the rogue chūnin. Said chūnin's underestimation of his young opponent handed the victory to the blond.

You'd think that with such a good interlude, life would give him a break.

Nope. Clearly, Tsunade was sharing her legendary bad luck.

"Yes?"

"The Civilian Council requests a meeting with the Clan Heads and yourself, Hokage-sama. They are already seated in the Council Room."

Hiruzen nodded. "Inform the Clan Heads and tell the Civilian Council that I will join them within the hour."

"Understood Hokage-sama." The chūnin bowed with a fist to his chest before sprinting out of the room.

"What's going on oji-san?" Kazehana asked.

Hiruzen sighed again. Today was definitely going to be another long day.

"I believe that somehow, one of the shinobi sent to retrieve Naruto and the Scroll sent word back to the Council regarding Iruka's field promotion of Naruto-kun. As expected, the Council has convened and are awaiting their Shinobi counterparts."

"Buy they only requested a meeting." Tsubame frowned. "They can't just summon you like that."

This time, the old Hokage was able to repress the urge to sigh. "They shouldn't be able to. However, within the two week power vacuum created by Minato-kun's death and my re-assumption of the Robes & Hat, the older members of the Civilian Council were able to pass a few decrees into motion. The most dangerous of these basically turned the Hokage into the Civilian Council's toy concerning anything non-ninja.

"Luckily, Rangiku and I were able to turn back most of those decrees. Of the last and most dangerous, we were able to weaken it to a point that, while the civilians would still have a greater sway over non-shinobi matters, they would not be able to simply demand meetings with the Hokage. When they did, they had better be sure that it was a vital issue lest whoever had called the meeting could be imprisoned."

"I'm surprised that the civilians were even given a second chance at being something important." Kazehana stated with a hard glare.

"The Civilian Council cannot be dissolved." A new but very familiar voice stated. Turning round, the girls saw the easily recognizable figure of Momioka Rangiku walk into the room with a batch of folders tucked in the crook of her arm. "Here are the new batch of D-rank missions for tomorrow, Hokage-sama. They've been ordered according to distance from the Village Center."

"Thank you, Rangiku." The man smiled as he collected the files for a quick overview.

"Rangiku-san, why can't the Civilian Council be dissolved?" Tsubame asked.

"Well, back during the early days of Konoha, the Shodai's wife, Uzumaki Mito-sama, created the first Civilian Council. It came to her notice that some of the issues within the Village could only truly be dealt with by those who were not hampered by the worries of the shinobi world. After all, it wasn't every one in the Village that actually went out to battle and regular maintenance of the Village couldn't be piled upon the shinobi as well.

"Hence, the Civilian Council and the follow-up law stating that every incarnation of the Konohagakure no Sato Council would include a number of well respected civilians in direct proportion to the number of recognized Clan Heads."

"Wow. She really stood up for the non-shinobi, didn't she?" Kazehana asked.

"Yes she did." Hiruzen replied with a fond smile on his face. "According to her, while the Shodai dealt with the external problems, she would dealt with the internal. After all, it wouldn't do to have the Village survive invasions and wars only to fall apart due to internal conflicts."

"Definitely an awesome woman." Tsubame nodded in approval.

Just then, the chūnin from earlier briskly walked in and bowed to his leader. "Hokage-sama, the Council has convened. The Civilians and Clan Heads are seated as are the Elders."

"And the ANBU?"

"ANBU-taichō has taken his position."

Hiruzen nodded at that. The chunin's lack of knowledge as regards the position of the other ANBU in the Council Room was proof that they were taking their jobs seriously.

"Alright. Let the Council know that I will join them within ten minutes."

"Understood Hokage-sama." With that, the chūnin was gone again.

"Well girls, I need to be on my way." Then, without raising his voice, he stated clearly: "Neko, stay here until I return. Inu, remain with Neko. Guard the area. The rest of you, with me."

Having spoken, the old man placed his ceremonial hat upon his head and walked out.

Two figures seemingly... leaked? out of the shadows in the room. One, definitely a female with a porcelain cat mask and a different uniform to what the regular Konoha nin of chūnin and above rank wore with a tantō strapped to her back, and the second, a man with similar apparel to the woman but with a dog porcelain mask.

"I'll never get used to seeing them do that." Tsubame murmured as the man noiselessly headed out the door.

"Me neither."

—~ ~—

The Konoha Council Room was in an uproar.

Well, the Civilian Division anyway.

"Regardless of the circumstances, Umino-san should not have given the boy the hitai-ate!" A black haired man yelled. "Doing so implies that he has graduated the boy!"

"Whoever leaked that information to you clearly had no clue as to exactly what happened." Shikaku Nara stated in a bored tone. "We should at least hear from Umino-san."

It was to this madness that Hiruzen stepped.

"Momioka-san, if you will..."

Rangiku nodded and stepped forward. "Hokage-sama has arrived!"

The expertly built room's acoustics allowed her voice to easily echo round the room and gradually, the rowdy civilians calmed down.

After taking his seat, Hiruzen looked around the room.

To his left, seated in three rows of ascending height were the Civilian Councilors, headed by Haruno Mebuki, Yakushi Yukio and Ohara Tendō.

Beside them, and dividing the two halves of the Council, were the Council Elders: Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, representing the Shinobi Division and Shiranui Mai and Kensō Daichi, representing the Civilian Division.

To his right sat the Clan Heads of Konoha, nine in all though only seven were available.

And directly beside him, the ANBU commander to his left and Rangiku to his right.

'Let's get this over with.' He thought. "This seating of the Konohagakure no Sato Council is now open. What issue demands the seating?"

"The issue of the graduation of Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage-sama." Yukio stated. "It has come to our notice that, while Uzumaki-san failed the graduation exam held earlier today, the boy was seen wearing a hitai-ate of our Village."

"And?" The Hokage asked with an arched eyebrow.

"We would like to understand the exact details surrounding Uzumaki-san's graduation, Hokage-sama." The brunette woman answered. "While it is not truly within our jurisdiction to question the decisions of the shinobi, we would like to avoid any firm of favoritism and back-door channeling."

"In support of what Councilwoman Yakushi has said, I would also like it to be known that Uzumaki-san had a very abysmal performance record within the Academy." Mebuki added. "He just barely scraped by the fail-grade and he was unable to perform one of the stipulated ninjutsu after multiple attempts over the duration of his stay in the Academy."

"Interesting..." Hiruzen mused. "And you say that he was graduated? By whom?"

"Unfortunately, Hokage-sama, we are unable to make a clear claim right now." Ohara stated. "However, it came to our notice that Uzumaki-san was found with Umino Iruka. While Umino-san, a registered chūnin of the Village was seen without his hitai-ate, a hitai-ate was found on the person of Uzumaki-san. This leads us to believe that Umino-san is the one to have graduated Uzumaki-san. This belief is furthered by the fact that Umino-san is a teacher in the Academy and has taught Uzumaki-san's class extensively."

"Well then, I believe it would help to clear up this issue if Umino-san is brought before the Council?" Hiruzen asked to which the councilors nodded.

With a slight inclination of his head, one of the ANBU hidden in the shadows disappeared. Am minute later, he reappeared in the clearing between the Hokage's seat and the Council seats with a heavily bandaged Iruka and a medic-nin wearing a white coat.

"Umino Iruka." Hiruzen called as the ANBU gently leaned the chūnin on the medic then vanished. "You have been brought before the Council today to explain your actions as regards Uzumaki Naruto tonight. Please begin."

"With a slight grimace of pain, Iruka began, explaining how he had gone into the forest following Hiruzen's command, how he had heard Mizuki confess to being in league with Orochimaru and broken the Third's Law, how he had attempted to subdue the rogue chūnin, his defeat and subsequent injury, how he crawled over to witness Naruto brutally beat up Mizuki and finally, his graduating Naruto.

The last part obviously threw all but the most prominent civilians representatives into another uproar.

"The Hokage is still seated." Rangiku said firmly.

Again, the noise died down until only one civilian councilman was standing.

"Yes Chen-san?" Hiruzen prodded.

"Hokage-sama I, and I believe the rest of us might want to know as well, wish to ask Umino-san to explain his reason for graduating Uzumaki-san."

After a quick glance at his leader to ensure that he could answer, Iruka replied with a proud smile: "My reason for graduating him you ask, Chen-san? Well, besides his significant assistance in helping apprehend a traitor, I graduated Uzumaki Naruto because I, Umino Iruka, chūnin of Konohagakure no Sato, firmly believe in the potential of the boy to become a great shinobi."

Watching the scarred chūnin, Hiruzen took note of the clenching of his fist and the tightening of his jaw at the meeting laughter of the civilian councilors.

'He truly believes in him...' The old man mused.

"Forgive our uncalled for behavior, Umino-san," a portly man in the middle row said with slight chuckles leaking out. "but Haruno-san had us understand that the Uzumaki barely escaped failure in his overall passing grade, a point made moot by his failure in the final exam. How then can you be sure that he even has any potential?"

"Lack of interest in classes does not denote a lack of potential." Iruka shot back.

"That doesn't answer the question, Umino-san." The councilman replied smugly.

Just as Iruka wanted to reply, he froze, his face tightening with pain.

"Hokage-sama!" The medic called out quickly. "Umino-san has not been completely healed and his injuries are acting up!"

"Understood, Shin-san." Please take Umino-san to the hospital and finish his treatment."

"Understood Hokage-sama." The medic bowed hastily as an ANBU appeared beside him. The next second, they were gone.

"Well, with Umino-san's report, I believe it's clear that Uzumaki-san was graduated due to an act of favoritism on the shinobi's part." Yukio commented.

"Before we decide, I believe it would be best for us to have another opinion." Hyūga Hiashi spoke up, breaking the silence of the Clan Heads.

"Who else knows of Uzumaki-san's 'potential'?" Ohara asked, making air quotes around the word 'potential'.

Then, Rangiku leaned forward to whisper something into the Hokage's ear.

Something that made the corners of his lips twitch.

"Momioka-san has just offered an idea that I believe is plausible."

"What it it, Hokage-sama?" The only female clan head, a woman with a shock of unruly brown hair and red, fang-like markings on her cheeks, asked.

"We ask the young ones within his graduating set."

The room went quiet as everyone paused to mull it over.

"I second the idea." Mebuki stated calmly.

"So do I." A blond man beside the Nara clan head nodded.

Gradually, everyone else nodded or voiced their assent.

"In that case, we'll send messengers to pick up the students of Uzumaki-san's set except his two best friends as we want an unbiased opinion." Hiruzen nodded and various ANBU around the room vanished again.

Of course, the last part of his statement was total bullshit. The real reason he didn't want to bring the girls was because it would be a bit complicated to explain what they were doing in his office and with two ANBU. Another shitstorm he was way too happy to dodge.

"Any thoughts or opinions?" The age wizened leader asked with a kindly smile on his face.

"I believe we should hear the reports of the young ones before we share any opinions." Shikaku stated to which everyone nodded again.

With that, the room remained quiet until nine ANBU reappeared in just about the same spot as Iruka had stood a few minutes ago.

"Ah. Thank you ANBU-san." Hiruzen nodded and the black-clad guards once again vanished.

"Young ones. You have been gathered before the Konohagakure no Sato Council today to answer a very simple question." Rangiku stated monotonously. "Now, align yourselves in any manner of your choosing and listen attentively."

"Thank you, Momioka-san." The old man then turned a warm smile onto the students below. "The question to be answered is simple: what do you think of Uzumaki Naruto?"

—~ ~—

'Oh for the love of-' a young boy with similar appearance to the female clan head. 'I can't believe I got called here because of the dobe!'

"Haruno Sakura? Your answer please."

'Oh shit dobe.' The boy with the markings thought. 'You're screwed.'

"Um, well,' a pink haired girl stuttered hesitantly before steeling her resolve. " Naruto isn't really impressive. He acts like an idiot and never seems to bother with school work. However, he likes to have fun and he does make class a bit more lively at times."

"Is that all, Haruno-san?" The Hokage asked to which the pinkette nodded. "Then, you may leave."

An ANBU appeared beside her and then, she was gone.

"Yamanaka Ino? You're next."

—~ ~—

Standing at the far end of their hastily arranged line stood Nara Shikamaru, son of the Nara clan head, and he was bored.

'Can someone please call me so I can get this troublesome report thing done?' He moaned to himself as yet again, the Hokage chose someone else. This time, it was dog-boy, Inuzuka Kiba.

"Well, like everyone else said, Naruto is a bit of an idiot however, he has a good heart and he wouldn't hurt anyone without reason. Also, Akamaru trusts him and, if you ask anyone from my clan, if a familiar looks at à non-clan member with enough trust to consider said person worthy of being a possible partner, then whoever the familiar chooses is worth his weight in gold."

'OK, so, Sakura, Ino and Kuno have all given their reports. So have Kiba and Chōji. So, Shino, Hinata, Sasuke and I... Please pick me!' He thought again

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"I believe that Naruto, while an idiot, might have untapped potential."

The entire room froze.

'That had to be a genjutsu.' Shikamaru concluded after the shock had worn off. 'There's no way in hell that Sauke would ever admit something like that.'

"Is that all, Uchiha-san?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you. Hyūga Hinata please give us your opinion."

The shy, lavender eyed girl stepped forward as an ANBU took Sasuke away and glanced at her father for a split second before standing straighter AMD looking more serious and confident than Shikamaru had ever seen her.

"Uzumaki-san, I believe, has great potential that was only undermined by his lack of interest in conventional school. He may seem like an idiot however, when asked questions that he deems serious enough, he answers with intelligence. Also, he avoids causing harm to those he considers to be friends and would readily fight for them."

'OK. Sasuke's possible acknowledgement of Naruto may not have been a genjutsu but Hinata not stammering and blushing every time she says Naruto's name? Someone is definitely fucking with us using genjutsu.'

"Thank you, Hyūga-san. Aburame Shino?"

The glasses wearing boy nodded once and replied in his typically monotonous voice: "I believe Uzumaki-san is terribly underestimated due to his performance on the theoretical aspects of his work in the Academy. His ninjutsu might not be up to par however my kikaichu's reports have me believe that it may be as a result of a lack of training in chakra control as his chakra reserves dwarf most of the chūnin in the Village. Likewise for his genjutsu. His taijutsu only seems inferior because he throws his fights. As such, my opinion of him leans more toward that of Uchiha-san and Hyūga-san."

"Is that all, Aburame-san?"

"Yes Hokage-sama." Cue in ANBU disappearing act.

"Well, Shikamaru, your turn." The Hokage said with a small, smug, smile.

'Oh come on! He kept me here till last just to rile me up! Ah well, let's get this over and done with.'

"In my opinion, Naruto Uzumaki should have been the graduating student of the year."

He was interrupted by the explosion of laughter from the civilian councilors whom he shot a withering glare.

"Forgive us, Nara-san." A woman with honey-blonde hair that he recognized as Sakura's mom stated after the laughter died down. She was the only one not to have laughed, he'd give her credit for that. "Please explain your opinion."

"The best way to make you understand this is to look at his pranks."

Each and every single Clan Head and Elder nodded as he said that. "Forgetting about most of his former ones, let's look at his latest, and possibly greatest, one: the painting of the Hokage Monument.

"He completed the painting of the entirety of the Monument, according to what I heard, between the midnight shift and the daybreak shift. This gave him six hours to complete something that most chūnin might find difficult to even attempt. Shinobi have a tendency to be more alert at night due to the greater chance of attack during this period. As such, an Academy student completely painted the Village's greatest sight within one night, at a time the shinobi would have been highly alert.

"However, that is just the beginning. How did he obtain enough paint to pull off such a thing without the Village's merchants notice? How did he haul the paint high enough to paint the Monument? How did he complete this with such utter stealth that, if he hasn't claimed responsibility for the act, he would have remained blameless? Going back by a few months, he pulled off a week of pranks on the merchants. How did he consistently out run and escape the various chūnin sent after him? On those runs, various shinobi returned home with various minor injuries caused by the traps Naruto had set up. How did he manage to string them along so easily that they fell for his plans every single time?

"The answers to the questions are my reason for believing that Naruto has more potential than anyone ever gives him credit for."

The room was absolutely silent until the Hokage finally asked: "Anything else to add, Nara-san?"

"Nothing that wouldn't end up being more troublesome..." Shikamaru muttered to himself as he shook his head.

"Well then, thank you for your enlightening opinion."

Two minutes after an ANBU had departed with the final graduating student, the silence in the room remained unbroken.

"None of that can be true." A councilor argued. "The pranks must have been flukes!"

"Are you implying that any of our children could be liars?" Hiashi asked with a cold glare.

"Never Hiashi-sama!" The man squeaked.

"Then be be quiet please." Aburame Shibi stated stoically. "The questions posed by the Nara Clan heir and the statements by my son were perfectly logical and one, with simple rational thinking, will be inclined to believing their words."

"Well then, seeing that the kids have supported Umino-san's belief, I believe this meeting can be called to a close?" Shiranui Mai, the female elder representing the Civilian Division asked. "My back is hurting and I'd like to get some rest."

"Yes, Shiranui-san." Hiruzen affirmed. "This meeting is now closed and the final decision remains: Uzumaki Naruto's promotion to the rank of genin is supported."

With that, the old man stood up and walked out, Rangiku and the ANBU commander falling into step behind him.

Finally able to break out of her shock, Mebuki Haruno quickly called out: "Just one more thing, Hokage-sama. No one but yourself can promote a shinobi except in extreme cases during wartime. As such, Umino-san's promotion of Uzumaki-san is null."

"Oh, that." Hiruzen stopped and turned. "I gave Iruka the permission considering that I endangered Naruto's life by engaging him in a B-ranked mission."

Having said that, the old Hokage swept out of the room, leaving the civilians to stutter in their shock.

—~ ~—

"ANBU-san, send men to wipe the memory of the student's encounter with the Council tonight. Have the men explain to the parents that those are my orders due to the likely questions and consequences that could arise from the memory of the meeting. Have the parents then know that the meeting is to remain an A-ranked secret punishable by torture if spoken of. In fact, tell all the civilians that were present. I trust the Clan Heads will know the repercussions of breaking an A-ranked secret."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." With that, the ANBU commander was gone.

"Momioka-san, please produce a mission scroll for Umino-san. Categorize it as an 'Investigation and Possible Apprehension' mission and have a copy delivered to him this night. Also, have a similar mission scroll prepared for Uzumaki Naruto. However, let his be linked to Umino-san's as him being a supplementary to ensure the success of the mission. Have the first dated to about eight weeks ago and the second to today."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"Also, please get me Uzumaki Naruto. Send him to my office."

"It will be done Hokage-sama." After a quick pause to make sure that her leader wasn't relaying any more orders, the blonde haired woman walked briskly ahead of her leader to get started on the scrolls.

'Now,' Hiruzen thought as he headed back to his office. 'Time to face the true fallout.'

—~ ~—

"Jii-san?" A small, tired voice drew Hiruzen's eyes away from the paperwork he was completing to the entrance to his office.

What he saw stunned him into momentary silence.

Uzumaki Naruto was a boy of many faces. He had his embarrassed face, his happy face, his concentration face, his prankster face, his determined face (the last time the old Hokage had seen this one was when Naruto came to forewarn him about the challenge by his crush, Sakura, and the impending desecration of the Hokage Monument) and even a face that told anyone who truly knew him that someone had just offered to pay for his ramen.

In all the while he had known the young blond, this was the first time he was seeing this face on the boy.

His cheeks looked sunken in and he had shadows beneath his eyes like he was exhausted from a week of insomnia. His lips looked like he hadn't had a drink of water in days and his posture was slumped.

Worst of all, though, were his eyes.

Naruto Uzumaki looked... defeated.

"Naruto-kun!" The aged Hokage cried in shock. "By Kami you look-"

"Is it true?" The blond boy asked plainly. "And please. Don't try to bullshit me into thinking that you have no clue what I'm talking about." The blond shuffled forward to plop himself into one of the chairs opposite the elderly man and pointed at the now dormant orb on the table

"You once told me that it's linked to the forestry around the Village and that you can use it to p pick out a chakra signature and watch them from here. I know you watched me today. Is what Mizuki said true?"

—~ ~—

And Cut!

I'd love to continue this chapter but The Block stands in my way.

As such, the second part of The Fallout will be up within two weeks.

Read and Review Please!

Thank you.

The Ethereal Lord.


	6. Chapter 5- Truths & Trusts

_**Chapter 5- Truths & Trusts**_

"Is it true?" The blond boy asked plainly. "And please. Don't try to bullshit me into thinking that you have no clue what I'm talking about." The blond shuffled forward to plop himself into one of the chairs opposite the elderly man and pointed at the now dormant orb on the table

"You once told me that it's linked to the forestry around the Village and that you can use it to pick out a chakra signature and watch them from here. I know you watched me today. Is what Mizuki said true?"

The old Hokage closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply before releasing it all tiredly. "Neko, please bring in the girls. Also, call in Momioka-san. Inu, get me Mitarashi Anko."

"What's with the big gathering?" Naruto asked as he felt a part of himself grow angry at the old man's perceived stalling technique. "This concerns me. What do they have to do with it?"

"You are right. It does concern you." Hiruzen agreed. "But these are the closest people to you. The people you trust. They deserve to know.

"Besides," he continued as the door opened allowing Tsubame and Kazehana into the office. "Kazehana came here today asking me exactly what you're asking. She, as well as yourself and Tsubame, will get the full answer to your questions."

"Naruto!" Both girls exclaimed as they finally got to see him, crossing the remaining space between them in half a second.

"Are you OK?" Tsubame asked worriedly as she grasped his hands. "The bastard didn't hurt you did he?"

"That's not exactly a great question to ask Tsu-chan." Kazehana said quietly as she looked into her blond friend's ocean blue eyes to see the fear and pain hidden there. "We saw the fight. How are you feeling now?"

"Like I'm gonna blow up if Hokage-sama doesn't answer my question." He snapped angrily at the man who simply remained calm.

"He will answer your question, Naruto." Rangiku said as she walked. "Just calm down."

At about that time, a puff of smoke appeared in the room. Seconds later, it dissipated to reveal the... attractive (ah fuck it. The seductive!)... figure of a certain purple haired tokubetsu-jōnin. "Hokage-sama. You summoned me?"

"Yes, Anko." The Hokage stated as he sat up straight, his aura switching from the familiar 'grandfatherly' one to that of the Fire Shadow of the Hidden Leaf.

Every shinobi, even Rangiku, a non-shinobi, in the room could feel the change.

The Professor, the Shinobi no Kami, was back.

"ANBU, leave. Neko, stay."

Immediately, the order was carried out.

Tapping a finger on an engraved symbol on his table's surface, the ones left in the room felt a small tingle on their skins before an unnatural silence descended onto the room.

"That was a silencing seal created by Mito-sama. Depending on the amount of chakra and the path it is channeled through, the room is covered in a barrier that either locks sound in but allows sounds from the outside in, or absolutely traps sound in without allowing sound in from outside either." Hiruzen explained the the yet-to-be asked question. "Now, what I am about to share with you is an S-ranked secret of Konohagakure no Sato that is tied to another double S-ranked secret that, if ever shared outside this room without permission of the Hokage, will be punished by death. No exceptions."

Only Rangiku's expression remained unchanged as both Neko and Anko were stunned that Naruto's status was tied to another, even higher ranked secret while the fresh Academy graduates were just shocked by everything.

"Are you listening?" The Hokage asked, to which he received nods from everyone in the room. "Alright then. Wish I am about to tell you happened twelve years ago...

—~FLASHBACK~—

 _'...and so, yeah, expect us in the Village soon. Mako and I won't get married until you've given your blessing. We're just that stubborn old man!_

 _Give my love to Asuma-kun and let mom know that I will be coming home soon._

 _Your loving Kuro-hime, Sakiri.'_

'I can't wait until you return either, my wonderful daughter.' Hiruzen thought with a smile as he rolled up the message scroll his daughter had sent from her home in Kaze no Kuni. 'Biwako-hime would be ecstatic to see you again.'

Just then, he felt a wave of intense fear as an incredibly potent killing intent washed over him, saturating his every pore with the feeling.

'This feeling...' He thought as he struggled to his feet. 'The last time I felt such was when Mito-sama transferred it from herself into...'

The entire thing clicked in his mind just then and the fear within became full-blown terror. 'Biwako! Kami please protect her!'

After his quick prayer, he made haste to the lower levels of his home, throwing off the effects of the powerful killing intent as the mindset of the Professor took over. 'If the Kyūbi has been released, as I fear it has, then Kushina is most likely dead. Minato must be setting up the new seal thus I am quite possibly the most powerful ninja in the Village.' He summarized as he pulled off a string of hand-seals before channeling chakra into a seemingly blank wall. When the chakra had fully spread through the microscopic seal engraved in the wooden wall, it dropped silently, revealing his special battle armor. 'Time to suit up.'

—~ ~—

Appearing amidst a whirl of leaves on a rooftop, just as the shockwave spread through the Village, Hiruzen channeled his chakra to the bottom of his feet, forming a 'suction cup' effect that had him standing calmly as the ground heaved.

'By Kami. It is huge!' The former Hokage thought as he watched the immense beast begin its devastation on ithe Village.

"Sarutobi-sama!" An ANBU called in fear. "What do we do?"

Again, Hiruzen felt himself slip into the mindset of the Professor. "Get every Clan Head except the Uchiha and the Akimichi. Tell them to have their clans evacuate all civilians to the bunkers! Get the Akimichi and Uchiha here and every shinobi from high chūnin up. The lower ranks are to aid the evacuation. Move!"

'Please be alive, Mianto-kun.' He thought as he began a string of hand-seals. 'Your idea may be the only way to end this.'

"Kuchiyose no jutsu: Enma!" He yelled as he slammed both sides palms on the roof.

"Finally come to your mind on killing that damned student of yours? A gruff voice stated from within the puff of smoke that appeared.

"Now is not the time to rebuke me for my past weakness Enma." Hiruzen stated. "Somehow Minato's barrier failed and the Kyūbi got out. I'll need your help."

"Tch... Fine." The smoke cleared to reveal a large monkey covered in white fur. It wore a black suit with mesh armor underneath and a white kimono shirt with white fur trimmings and marks reminiscent of tiger stripes. The whole ensemble was held together by a red sash. On its forehead was the Konoha hitai-ate. "I'm guessing you summoned me now to avoid wasting time with that later?"

"Yes." The summoner answered simply as he watched some of the braver ANBU pepper the beast with explosives to no avail. "I might not get a chance to do this later in the fight."

"Whatever." The monkey said as it slapped its hands together in a single seal. "Always did want to fight a bijū. Henge: Kongōnyoi!"

In a motion that had to have been from years of experience, Hiruzen threw his hand to the side, caught the now transformed battle staff and spun it around expertly until it came to rest underneath his left arm. "Let's go old friend."

'I'm with you all the way'

—~ ~—

"Doton: Doryū Taiga!"

"Chō-Baika no jutsu!"

"Doton: Kengan no jutsu!"

The ground underneath the massive tailed beast degenerated into a sloppy muddy mess, destabilizing it as six men suddenly grew to almost half the height of the beast, instantly throwing their fists up for an uppercut. Then, just as their fists were about to connect, the third technique kicked in and their fists became encased in a dense layer of tightly compacted rock. The sudden addition of the weight slowed their attack just a bit but it was not enough to allow the beast any breathing room.

The enraged beast roared in as its jaw was launched upward. In its blind rage, it swept its tails around in tn an arc only to feel more of the stinging pains of the explosives as they slammed into its skin.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Hiruzen shouted as he landed. "Katon: Karyū Endan!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa!" His clone yelled immediately after.

The flaming dragon construct was suddenly amplified as the wind from the clone caught up with it.

Without pausing to watch the damage inflicted by his hasty combination technique, Hiruzen turned to the Jōnin by his side. "Shikaku, status!"

"We have been able to harry it continuously however we lost about thirty percent of the Akimichi force. Its body is corrosive and acts as a direct channel to its chakra. The Akimichi that came in contact with its skin died as the chakra violently invaded their circulatory system. We've lost almost forty percent of the ANBU to its direct attacks. Since we switched to guerilla attacks such as those, damage figures have dropped."

"And the civilians?"

"All civilians in a sixty block radius have been evacuated. More than eighty percent of the total surviving population have been evacuated. Estimates are that we lost about thirty percent of the civilians within the first twenty minutes of its attacks: ten percent were directly caused by it, twenty percent were caused by panicked civilian stampedes."

"Damn." Hiruzen swore. "Get the rest of the civs clear and then put a jōnin that you trust in charge of keeping the King safe. The rest of you!" He yelled at this point. "Get clear of the beast! I'll push it out of the walls then we continue the attacks there!"

"Understood!" came the roaring reply.

With a quick shushin, the Third appeared underneath the beast, just between its thrashing legs. "Enma? Time for a work out! Extend!"

Without a second of hesitation, the golden brown end of the transformed monkey extended, shooting forward at an amazing pace to slam into the exposed under-belly of the bijū.

One shushin later, the old man appeared a few feet from his original position just as the retracted staff head shot forward again, catching the off-balance bijū right in its chest to send it flying out of the Village, a destroyed path of buildings lying in its wake.

"Let's go!" Hiruzen yelled and, in another burst of speed, he was gone.

—~ ~—

"Sandaime-sama! It's pushing us back again!"

"Get clear! Enma extend!" Hiruzen commanded as he ducked beneath a swing of the bijū's paw.

Just after the staff struck home, he dropped it into the waiting arms of a shadows clone that had popped out of the ground beside him. Executing another string of hand-seals, he called out another attack. "Doton: Chikyū no Sokubaku"

His chakra that he had sent into the earth beneath him followed his command and manifested itself into powerful earthen shackles that, with the speed of a jōnin-thrown kunai, wrapped around the limbs of the beast.

Reappearing above the beast in a shushin, he spun in the air, grabbing the staff his clone had hurled at him as he went, then pointed it down at the bijū. "Enma! Again!"

With the shackles holding it from escaping, the staff slammed home, ramming the bijū into the ground.

Just as he reappeared beside Chōza, he was thrown back when a wave of pure air was thrown out from the beast.

"Oh no!" Hiruzen gasped as he steadied himself, eyes never leaving the bijū. "That's a bijūdama!"

Again, he was thrown by an explosive blast. Only this time, there were cheers erupting from the shinobi around him.

"We're saved! It's Yondaime-sama!"

'Minato!' Hiruzen thought, his tense muscles sagging in relief. "He's finally here!'

"What took pretty-boy so long to get here?" Enma asked in his gruff voice as he undid his transformation. Anyone could easily hear the tone of relief in the summon's voice. "And what's that bundle in his arm?"

'That must be Naruto-kun!' Hiruzen's tired eyes snapped open. "Enma! We must speak with Minato!"

"I'm the one on my feet." The summon replied. "Though we might want to get a good chase on now. I can barely see the head of that old bastard 'Bunta!"

Hiruzen, who had just managed to get back onto his feet popped a soldier pill into his mouth then turned to his summon. "Let's go!"

—~ ~—

"Ta... Take good care of lil... Little Naruto for me jii-san..." The dying blond whispered to his aged old friend. "Don't... Don't let the villagers hate him. He's a savior. Don't let... Don't let them look at him any other way... Please..."

"I will Minato." Hiruzen promised as his his friend, his successor and the hero of Konoha died in his arms. "I will..."

—~FLASHBACK END~—

The room was quiet after the Hokage's recount of the events leading to Naruto's current situation and it had nothing to do with the silencing seal.

"So... So Mizuki was right..." Naruto said resignedly, his being the voice to break the silence. "I... The Yondaime sealed the Kyūbi into me..."

"Yes." Hiruzen replied simply. What else could he say? For all his experience after a long lived life, there just weren't words one could use to console a child whose life had been torn away from any sense of normalcy without a choice. What could be said when the child, having heard of his condition, expressed no other desire than resignation?

"You said that he begged you to make sure the villagers didn't hate me... Why?"

Hiruzen sighed. "The life of a jinchūriki is never an easy one, Naruto-kun. You must understand that people have a tendency to be afraid of what they do not understand and this fear often leads to hatred. Combine that with the bijū's reputation for causing destruction and you have a destructive brew of hatred and malice that most humans are all too willing to partake of."

"Jinchūriki..." Naruto scoffed bitterly. " 'The power of human sacrifice'. That's what you consider me as? A simple sacrifice to be used as a pariah for the village?"

"Don't say that Naruto!" Rangiku rebuked sharply.

"What should I say?" He yelled back, tears streaming down his cheeks as his best friends held him tightly, their tears flowing as well. "What should I believe? I was mobbed, beaten, bruised, cut, nearly lynched, abused, deprived of things that should easily have been my RIGHTS! Why? Because someone decided to play god and use me as a scapegoat?"

"Na- Naruto..." Tsubame sniffed as she tried to console her friend. "Please calm down... Please."

"Why should I? A man I respected, a man I held in high regard, for Kami's sake, I looked up to him as a MENTOR! He threw me into a life that I never wanted! Why did he choose me?" At this, Naruto life's his head and turned to the Hokage. "I need to know ojii-san. I need to know why he chose me."

"Naruto I don't-"

"Don't tell me you don't know!" The blond shouted again the tears never slowing. "That's a lie and you know it! Damn it jii-san I trusted you! I asked you back then why I was hated and you said you didn't know. Here we are today and I find out that you knew! Everyone but me knew! So don't feel me you don't know why he stuck a fucking TAILED BEAST into me!"

"Naruto I can't-"

"Tell me!" Naruto roared. "Was it because be hated my parents? Was it a prophecy? Or was it just his own form of sick perversion-"

"HE WAS YOUR FATHER!" Hiruzen roared back. He wasn't angry though. In fact, if anything, he sounded pained, like he was just trying to defend a friend's memory.

Which he was, in fact, doing.

"The double S-ranked secret tired to yours is the identity of your parents." Hiruzen replied tiredly. "Rangiku, you are permitted to tell them."

"Everything, Hokage-sama? The blonde woman asked.

"Yes, Rangiku. They need to know everything, down to the the law I set up." Hiruzen confirmed before leaning back on his seat.

"Alright then. From the beginning..." She sighed then turned to face her small audience. "The first thing you should know is that you aren't the first jinchūriki of the Kyūbi. You're the third."

While the graduates gasped, the older shinobi's brows furrowed in concentration.

"The Kyūbi was first known to Konoha, apart from being the personal summon of Madara Uchiha, co-founder of Konoha. During the final battle between himself and the Shodai Hokage, the Shodai's wife, Mito Uzumaki, performed a special fūinjutsu technique that allowed her to seal the tailed beast within herself.

"Years later, she had a child from the now former home of the Uzumaki, a place on the border of what is now known as Nami no kuni called Uzushiogakure, transferred to Konoha. This child was Kushina Uzumaki.

Naruto, seeing where this was going, gently squeaked out: "My-my mom?"

Rangiku nodded. "Yes. Sometime before she hit the age of fifteen, Mito-sama transferred the Kyūbi from herself to Kushina. On and on Kushina grew to become a powerful kunoichi of the Leaf. She was easily an A-ranked nin in the Bingo Books for her skill with ninjutsu, particularly suiton, and her skill in taijutsu.

"She had attended the Academy with Minato Namikaze and she became fast friends with him and later on, they got married secretly. As far as I know, only Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama of the Sannin and a student of Yondaime-sama knew. I only got to know after their deaths."

"But why all the secrecy?" Tsubame asked. "Why not just tell everyone that they were getting married or that they had a child?"

"As I already stated, Kushina-san was known as a high-class A bordering on S-ranked kunoichi. That was bad but nothing truly special. Your father, however, was the first shinobi to be classed as a double S-ranked threat. Kumogakure wanted him captured to see if they could force him to replicate the Hiraishin for their own use, Kirigakure considered him a threat if Konoha ever decided to avenge Uzushiogakure and Iwagakure... Well, they wanted him dead. No 'ifs', 'buts' or 'ands'. If they knew that he had a wife and a CHILD... Iwa especially would send out assassins. Loads of them. So, that's the reason your parentage cannot be discussed outside of this room until you become, at least, a B-ranked tokubetsu jōnin."

The room was silent again, with Naruto shooting glances at the old man seated opposite him, until he finally glanced back at the older blonde. "You still haven't told me why he sealed it into me."

"There were two reasons, Naruto-kun." Hiruzen finally spoke up. "The first was your blood."

"My-my blood?"

"Or rather, the properties of your blood lineage." Hiruzen sat forward and placed both hands on the tables, fingers interlocked as his eyes sharpened. "The Uzumaki never had what could be called a kekkai genkai however, they had special characteristics that could be mistaken to be such. First off, they lived much longer lives than normal. The average age for humans to live is seventy. The average age for the Uzumaki was ninety.

"Second, their extremely quick regenerative abilities. Where the average ninja, due to our quicker than normal metabolic rate, can heal, say a kunai slash that is about an inch deep in just under a day, the average _untrained_ civilian in Uzushiogakure could heal such an injury completely in less than two hours.

"Finally, their extremely potent chakra and larger than normal chakra capacities. To put it simply, a genin from Uzu, more often than not, had middle to high chūnin chakra reserves. Also, a trained Uzumaki could use half the regular amount of chakra for a jutsu yet still cancel out, and in quite a number of situations, overpower a similar jutsu being used at maximum chakra output by a regular ninja.

"Now, the Kyūbi is well known for being the most powerful bijū known to man and having an incredibly potent chakra. As such, to seal it would require a very powerful chakra to counter the volatile effects of the bijū's chakra."

"So... He sealed it into me because of the power in my blood?"

"Yes Naruto, but that wasn't the only reason. He sealed it into you because you're his son. You were the only person that he trusted with such a burden. I know you must hate me now for not telling and you are probably growing resentful of him but you need to understand that he truly trusted you."

"You said he had a student." Naruto replied quietly. "For the student to have attended the wedding that meant he trusted the student. Why didn't he seal the Kyūbi into him?"

"Naruto-kun, pushing back logic is no way to be the future Hokage. You have the Uzumaki blood. Not your father's student. You."

"I'm trying not to ignore logic jii-san!" He sniffed again, the tears he had just managed to stifle bubbling back up to the surface. "I'm trying! But I'm his son! And he knew that if word ever got out I'd treated like... like thrash! Yet he did so on trust? He subjected me to this because he trusted me? How did he even know me? I was just a baby! Less than a day old!"

"Sometimes, as a leader, you will be forced to choose between varying options. On one side you will have a choice that represents the betterment of many of your subordinates. On the other hand you will have the choice that will benefit only you or a select few that are close to you buy this choice will lead to the detriment of your subordinates. Will you be a selfish leader, protecting yourself and yours but destroying the ones you lead, Naruto-kun? Or will you be a selfless leader but suffer the pain of losing loved ones?

"I know that your father never wanted you to be where you are now. He wanted to be as great a father to you as he was an Hokage to the Village."

"He's right, you know." Rangiku spoke up again. "I worked with him, I was his secretary after all, and I know how many times he would murmur little thoughts about you or how he'd come in here and spin around like he was carrying you already and he'd say things like 'one day, my son, all these will be yours' or how he'd stand, looking out that window and he'd go all fatherly saying stuff like 'one day you too will rule over them and you will show them the power that is your Will of Fire'. He loved you Naruto and I know it must have been painful for him when he realized that he wouldn't be around to watch you grow."

Naruto's mouth feel open as he tried to speak numerous times but no sound seemed to come out until he finally speed then tried to speak again. "Jii-san I- I- can I go leave please? I need to think. Please."

Upon recieving a nod from the old man, he ran out of the room.

—~ ~—

He knew exactly when she landed on the stone behind him. It was odd, considering the fact that, I'if asked, he'd only be able to say he smelt her (and how weird was that?) and that she smelt of snakes, dango and sake with a hint of... something ridiculously like jasmine.

"Hey Whiskers." She greeted as she sat about a foot away from him. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine nee-chan, thanks for coming to check up on me." He replied blankly.

"I know you don't want to talk about what you learnt today and, honestly, I'm not here to force you. I just want you to know something."

Silence met her words so Anko just persevered. "Shinobi are not... Well actually, we are tools, just that we aren't only tools." She paused then shook her head. "Damn it, I'm not nearly as good as Nai-chan when it comes to talking about all these emotional things. What in trying to say is that shinobi are still human. Under everything, we are still human. And humans need people to share stuff with. It's how Nai-chan and I met."

"Wait." Naruto paused. "You never told us about how you became friends with Kurenai-san."

"True..." Anko leaned back onto one of the spikes hurting out of the rock she sat on and looked up into the night sky. The cool air rubbed across her skin nicely and the stars made for a very nice focus. "We were on a mission, Nai, Aoba, that stuck up bastard Ebisu and I, to clear out some rival bandit groups from one of the border towns. Bassai. That was the town. We had a two week deadline and everything was moving along smoothly. By the end of the first week, we had reduced both bandit hands to a fourth of their original number but that's just a side story. The main thing was that on our eighth night, we were ambushed and, in the ensuing desperate battle, Kurenai made her first kill."

Anko went quiet as she remembered the distraught look in the raven haired girl, now woman's, eyes as her kunai dropped from her blood-stained hand.

"To be clear, it wasn't her first actual kill. She was a chūnin by then and so she had killed before. However, due to her speciality in genjutsu, most of her kills were only long range and the few up close deaths were due to her more devastating genjutsu." Anko explained. "No, she was distraught because this was her first direct, blood-letting, kill. Turned out she was slightly haemophobic. Anyway, we got talking. I was only doing it to avoid getting my first mission since... to avoid failing my first mission in a while but we bonded over that. And we learnt something important. In a battle, emotions can cause complications but unresolved emotions can cause complications in non-battle situations. And, most times, the best way to resolve those problems is to share them with those we trust.

"I know you're trying to decide whether to hate and resent him for pretty much wrecking your life or to see hum as a hero of some sort but you'll need someone else's opinion. Someone who won't be biased yet who you can trust."

After saying that, she stood up in her usual, gracefully inelegant way and pulled off her trenchcoat. "Well, said my piece, I'll be going now. You know where to find me right?"

Naruto nodded as she draped her coat over him.

"Well then, don't catch a cold." She smiled and ruffled his hair before walking away.

Seated as he has been since he had arrived, Naruto looked over the sleeping village.

'Resent him or just let it go?'

—~ ~—

"Jii-san?"

Hiruzen looked up from the files he was perusing to see Naruto peeking at him from behind the door and he smiled warmly. He should have been in bed but he must could seem to feel the need for rest and so he'd decided get started on the small stack of files on his table. Considering the rate at which the dammed thing multiplied, every little amount that could be done was a boon to the next day. "Come in, Naruto-kun."

Slowly, the blond shuffled across the room to stand in front of the old man.

"Well? Won't you sit?"

"Not yet." The younger blond swallowed then stood straight. "I want to apologize for my behavior earlier. I acted and said things rashly and for that, I'm sorry."

"Naruto-kun you have no reason to apologize to me." Hiruzen smiled. "In fact, I should be the one to apologize. I was the one who lied to you."

"You did." Naruto affirmed. "However, you cared for me. You treated me like I you would your own grandson. If it wasn't for you, Rangiku-chan, Tsubame, Kazehana, Anko-nee-Chan and the Ichirakus... I probably wouldn't be where I am now."

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair with a smile on his face. Thank Kami the boy didn't hate him. He was sure the boy would when he realized that he was keeping secrets from him. "Well, thank you for accepting us as a part of your family."

Noticing the small frown when he said 'family', the old man leaned forward again. "Naruto-kun, what do you think of your real family?"

"I... Honestly, I have no problems with my mom. Guess the issue here is... dad." The last word seemed tense... Like he had forced himself to say it. "I mean, I totally understand the whole 'making his son a jinchūriki' thing and I can honestly tell you that I feel... honored I guess... that he would entrust me with this kind of burden even though I was just a baby then."

Finally, the boy turned to the seat beside him and made himself comfortable. "But a part of me still resents him. A part of me feels like he shouldn't have hefted such a burden on a child. So, I came to a conclusion within myself. More of an agreement of sorts."

"Can I hear this agreement?" Hiruzen asked.

"Sure. It's simple really. I'll continue to respect him. He deserves at least that much from me. Yet my resent meant of him will be channeled." Here, Naruto grinned. It was his first since Mizuki had revealed his true status to him and it was a grin Hiruzen knew well. Coupled with the rekindled fire in his eyes, the Sandaime knew he was about to hear one of Naruto's declarations. And like the last two he had made, he knew that the young blond wouldn't give up on this until he made it.

"Konoha thinks the Yondaime is the greatest Hokage? Well they'd better watch out! I'm going to become so great the name 'Minato Namikaze' will only be remembered as the father of the greatest Kage in history. Believe it!"

'Yes Naruto... I most certainly do...'

—~ ~—

In a hotel room about a mile from the Hokage tower, two people laid on their bed, the sounds of laughter fading from a now inactive slip of paper on the desk beside them.

"Naruto-kun are you sure that was a good idea? Letting chibi-you know about his lineage?"

"Sakura-chan calm down." He replied as he ran a hand through the waist length pink hair of his companion who was sprawled on his chest. "I'm sure it's a good idea."

"How can you be so sure?" She questioned, playing with his jaw length blond bangs that ran down the side of his face. It had become something of a habit whenever they lay together like this and she always felt comfort in doing this familiar act in this familiar yet not so familiar world they had thrown themselves into.

"Because I know what I felt." He answered. "I remember when I finally got to see dad. And I'm talking about way before that bastard resurrected him."

"Hmm? When did that happen?"

"When Nagato cratered Konoha." He replied as his eyes slipped close in the darkness of the room. "Seeing him released some of the bitterness I had in me. I punched him in the gut so hard that if he wasn't just a chakra construct he'd have bled all over my mind-scape. The only reason I didn't pound him into the ground...correction, the reasons I didn't punch him into the ground were that I wasn't sure how much longer the remains of the Village had before Pein totally wiped it off the map and when I touched him I got an imprint of his thoughts and memories toward me."

He trailed off at thus point, though his hands continued to caress her. One stroked her hair. The other, her... derrière...

"Well?" She asked before stifling a moan as his hand... roamed...

He just chuckled. "Well I resented him less after that though part of that resentment eventual joined up with the negative 'me' that I told you about. Allowing chibi to know the truth now takes away a little more resentment."

"Well... Makes sense, I guess." She replied, this time unable to suppress the moan that followed. "And the audience that heard the truth? What about them?"

"The girls were necessary. As you noticed they never even flinched when the truth about chibi's status as a jinchūriki was let out. And Anko... Well it was nice to hear how she got to know Kurenai..."

"Focus."

"Right. Sorry. Well, as you heard, Anko doesn't particularly care about his being a jinchūriki or not. She'll treat him as she always has and that's what he needs."

"And that ANBU? Neko?"

"She looked out for me when I was a kid so I believe she should know all there is to know. Besides, she knows a bit about mom and she'd be happy to share it with chibi. Plus, you heard what the Hokage told both of them. She will be on chibi's team so she needs to be in the know."

"Well... Since you seem to have it covered..."

"I do have it covered." He replied with certainty. Then, his wandering hand slipped to the opposite side causing her to gasp.

"Naruto..." She mewled in pleasure. "You.. You'd better not start... Start wha-ah... What you can't finish!"

"You and I both know that I can finish it." He grinned lasciviously. "I just wanna take my time..."

"Just make sure the door is locked." She whimpered as the hand caressing her hair decided to move toward more... sensitive upper parts... "I won't want another scream fest about the Yondaime's reincarnation interrupting us."

Without stopping, he summoned a clone to do as she suggested when though the dammed thing kept complaining about how only the 'boss' got to have fun.

"Oi! Be quiet!" The busy man hissed as he rolled his companion over. "Dispel-"

"Come on Naruto-kun." She purred, her lips in a smile that was every bit as wanton as his, as he straddled her. "Can't clone-san join in the fun? You'll get to enjoy double memories..."

"Another reason why I love you."

—~ ~—

Jutsu List:

Kuchiyose no jutsu: Enma- Summoning Technique: Enma

Henge: Kongōnyoi- Transformation: Adamantine Staff

Doton: Doryū Taiga- Earth Style: Earth Flow River

Chō-Baika no jutsu: Extra-Large Body Expansion Technique

Doton: Kengan no jutsu- Earth Style: Fist Rock Technique

Kage Bunshin no jutsu Shadow Clone Technique (one time translation)

Katon: Karyū Endan- Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Missile

Fūton: Daitoppa- Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Doton: Chikyū no Sokubaku- Earth Style: Shackles of the Earth

Bijūdama- Tailed Beast Bomb

—~ ~—

Another one complete!

So, yet another deviation from canon as Naruto knows exactly who his parents are. Also, we get a peek at what the Future Duo are up to.

And so, expect the next chapter to include the team pickings. And a certain entity might be showing up.

PS: Remember that the chaps have a two week time frame for posting and all these weekly updates are great and all but once school hits... All the weeks I have not expended shall be used as a buffer between chapters.

BE WARNED.

Read and Review Please.

Thank You.

The Ethereal Lord.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

"Yo, Naruto, you awake?"

Naruto turned from his position facing the wall to look into the crimson eyes of his redheaded friend.

She, along with Tsubame and Anko had decided to spend the night in his apartment so, while the purple haired woman snoozed on the couch in the living room, the girls had opted to share the bed with him, resulting in both girls taking up a part of the mattress while he took the edge closest to the wall facing the Hokage Monument.

"I've just been told that the reason everyone hates me is because the man I looked up to as a mentor, who coincidentally happens to be my dad, sealed an entity that wiped out about a quarter of the people in my home town into me." He answered quietly with a small hint of amusement in his tone. "Sleep, unfortunately, is the last thing in my mind."

"Not exactly surprising, I guess." She replied with a smile of her own. "A better question would have been, and I'm asking you, how are you holding up?"

He shrugged noncommittally, the light of the half-moon just bright enough to illuminate his movement for his friend. "Pretty good? Bad? Horribly? I honestly can't say."

"We'll get through this." She replied. "We always do."

They both went quiet after that, listening to the sounds of nature's nightlife.

"Um... Kazehana?" Naruto started uncertainly, his eyes unable to connect with hers.

"Something bothering you?" She asked with a small furrow of her brow. "You can tell me whatever's on your mind."

"Oh, well..." Naruto still seemed unsure until he felt her hand reach out to grasp his. "I-I... Well, you and Tsubame never... You guys never really said anything about what you thought of the big reveal.

"I know it's stupid considering that both of you still stuck with me, going so far as to stay here with me to make sure I'm OK, it's just..."

"You want a verbal confirmation." Kazehana finished. "Y'know, I never knew you were so in touch with your feminine side."

"Say what?!" Naruto whispered furiously.

"You know those books I read? Yeah, well some of them are romance novels and in most of them it's the female that needs the verbal confirmation of their lover's... love." She explained with a wide grin. "So, when did your 'Oiroke' part take over?"

"Oh... Haha." Naruto replied sarcastically. Then, a sly smile that would have terrified Kazehana, had she seen it, slid across his lips. "Well... Supposing the 'Oiroke' part, as you called it, were taking over, wouldn't that mean you're the lover?"

"What the-?" The redhead sputtered indignantly before she caught on. Then, she chuckled. "Touché."

They quieted down again and once more the the sounds of nature echoed around them.

"Honestly?" Kazehana started, again breaking the peaceful silence. "I really don't care."

"Really?"

"Naruto. You couldn't be the Kyūbi if you had fur, pointy ears and nine tails popping outta your ass." She replied bluntly. "You're way too kind and I don't think even a mindless bijū is blind enough to have a fucking huge crush on a pink haired brat while not noticing the even larger crush another girl has on it."

"Oh haha!" Naruto scoffed. "What a way to explain why I'm not the Kyū- wait. Someone has a crush on me?"

If the room were well lit, the blond would have seen the eye-bulging stare his friend threw at him.

"You didn't know?" She asked incredulously.

"Was I supposed to?" Was the clueless reply.

Cue epic facepalm.

"I swear, when Tsubame said that you were too oblivious to know of the fucking 'white elephant in the room' crush, I bet with her that you just ignored the poor girl to focus your attention on your 'dream girl'. It never once crossed my mind that you could actually be as oblivious as she said."

"You realize this means you owe me right?" A new voice stated smugly.

"Oh great." Kazehana groaned. "Of course you'd wake up in time to hear that Tsubame."

"Actually, I've been up long enough to hear most of your bonding moments." The silver haired girl replied, the same smug tone still evident in her voice. "And to answer your earlier question, Naruto, I don't care either. You're way too much fun to be a raging demon of hate and all that."

"Thanks, Tsu-chan." Naruto replied warmly. "But seriously, someone in our class has a crush on me?"

"Yup." Tsubame replied cheerfully. "And no, we won't be telling you. So figure it out Blondie."

"Nah, lets be a but kind. You've got about three hours till sunrise to try to figure it out." Kazehana stated. "Get on your own or we'll tell you but you'll forfeit ramen nights for three weeks."

"Wha-?"

"Night Blondie-kun." Tsubame giggled as she snuggled a bit. "Only three hours stand between you and no ramen for three weeks..."

—~ ~—

"It's Hinata-chan, isn't it?" Naruto sighed as they munched on their breakfast.

They lived on the ground floor of their apartment block, sharing three rooms. The farthest end from the entry point was Naruto's, the closest was shared by the girls and the middle room they used as a shared living slash dining slash kitchen area, connected to their rooms by a door.

It was seven-thirty in the morning and they were gorging on the meal Anko had made for them before she had headed back home to prepare for her day.

"Wow!" Tsubame mumbled through her full mouth. "Ramen really does motivate you."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"It is." Kazehana confirmed. "She had a sort of 'love at first sight' crush on you when we first started out at the Academy then it grew into this HUGE crush when you stopped that idiot Bo Lin and his band from bullying her."

"Damn." Naruto swore softly as he leaned back in his chair, the meal forgotten. "I always knew she was shy but a part of me just thought she was weird. Y'know, with the finger-poking and the fainting spells."

"She only ever fainted around you, Blondie." Tsubame pointed out. "Hell, she only really displayed her quirkier... quirks around you."

Kazehana nodded in agreement. "Guess you were too busy chasing Sakura to ever truly notice her."

Silence reigned for about a minute before she added: "So, you like her?"

The blond boy sagged in his seat. "Honestly? I don't know. I mean, I've been so focused on Sakura that both of you are the only other girls I know in our class. Every other girl is a blur and for someone to consider Ino a blur then what do you think Hinata will be?"

"Hmm..." Tsubame mused then she perked up. "Why don't you tell her the truth?"

"What? Are you serious?"

"I am." Came the sure reply. "Get her to your side and talk to her. Let her know your honest feelings right now."

"I'm going with Tsu-chan on this one." Kazehana nodded. "If you tell her, she won't be so stuck up on you and so she'll see that there might be someone else for her. It'll also give you time to know if you honestly like her and if you honestly like Sakura 'cause I know that when you get your head outta your ass, you'll see that your dream's just that: a dream."

"Sakura's..." Naruto began only for Kazehana to cut in, reminding them that they had barely an hour left to get to the Academy.

"Well?" Tsubame shot back with a smile. "I'm the one waiting on you two."

"Wait wha-?" Naruto sputtered as he saw the silver haired girl's empty plate.

"Yeah, hurry up Naruto." Kazehana added as she picked between her teeth with a fingernail. "I was considering us checking out some new threads yo mark our graduation to genin."

"Damn!" The blond swore as he dug back into his larger-than-average meal. 'Their just lucky this isn't ramen!'

—~ ~—

"You know, now that I know about... uh, Furry, I can understand why the villagers throw such hateful looks at me all the time." Naruto said quietly as they walked down the corridor leading to their class.

"Understanding it doesn't make me like it any more." Tsubame replied. "But I see your point."

"You guys might wanna be quiet." Kazehana hissed. "You know... S-ranks and all..."

"Yeah..." Tsubame's thoughts swung in another direction. "Yo Blondie, I saw a certain Hyūga princess going ahead of us a while back."

"Yeah..." Kazehana joined in the teasing. "You ready to admit your undying love for her?"

"I would answer but I don't deem that worthy of the time and energy to be spent." The blond shot back calmly as they walked into the class.

After a quick glance around, the blond jumped onto a table then leapt up the ascending levels until he landed directly in front of a blue haired girl. "Hey Hinata-chan!" He yelled in his usual, idiotic and obnoxious voice.

"Uh... Um... H-h-hi N-n-naruto-k-kun." Came the timid reply from a very red faced girl.

"Wanna walk around a bit after we're done here?"

'Naruto-kun asked me to walk around with him! Me! Kya!'

And with that, her face took on a deeper shade of red... Just before her head hit the table with a soft thud.

Naruto sighed as he sat beside her. Doing as Tsubame and Kazehana advised would be amazingly difficult if the blue haired girl kept fainting like that.

Just then, the door to the class blew inward like it was slammed by a certain Sannin's punch.

"Oh yeah! Sasuke-kun's one true love makes it in first! Again!"

"Like hell Ino-pig! My foot clearly swung in before you even thought of pushing the door!"

Naruto and about half of the non-fangirl population of the class groaned upon hearing the obnoxiously loud voices that accompanied the slamming doors. 'Does Sakura-chan really have to be so loud?'

"I won Pig! I get to sit near Sasuke-kun!" The pink haired girl argued.

"He clearly prefers more balanced girls like me! You know, without the protruding stub of a forehead to interrupt while we enjoy long kisses?" Her blond combatant shot back with a sneer.

"Everybody QUIET!" A man with a disproportionately large head roared from the podium in the center of the room, resulting in everyone, from the wannabe divas to the fainting princess to shoot upright in their seats.

Graveyards had been more noisy than this class.

At least for now.

"Now." Iruka began after glaring at the few troublemakers who were about to get the ruckus started back up again. Surprisingly, it was actually the queens of the Uchiha fan club that had the noise-making ants in their pants. "Normally, this should take place an hour from now. However, Hokage-sama has decided that the allocation of teams should be done as quickly as possible. As such, I will now be announcing the team numbers, the teammates and the jōnin they are allocated to. Are we clear?"

Various forms of assents were shown around the room and the scarred chūnin nodded.

Immediately he began, Naruto simply tuned out, directing his mind to only call him when either his or his friends names were called.

He was jolted out of his space-out when an annoyingly loud squeal pierced his ears, making himself and Kiba flinch.

"That's the power of LOVE!" Sakura screamed as she held up her fingers in the victory sign. "Take that Ino-pig! Kaho! Kuno!"

"Sakura Haruno." Iruka cut in calmly before the pinkette could yell out the names of all her rivals. He leaked out just a tad of Killing Intent to enforce his seemingly gentle words. While the use of Killing Intent was on Academy students was forbidden, the pink-haired girl had just graduated. "Please be quiet and let me finish."

The entire class was sweating bullets as the heavy (to them) KI blasted them.

In a certain blond's mind, though, an old voice popped up.

'Ha.' It scoffed as Naruto suffered under the aura. 'This is what passes as Killing Intent nowadays? Useless.'

Of course, being pinned to his seat in terror, Naruto wasn't in the right frame of mind to hear the voice in his head.

With a small, satisfied smile, Iruka let the KI dissipate gently, allowing the kids to breathe. "As I was saying: Team Seven, teammates; Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke and Tsukiumi Kuno jo-"

"Take that you pink haired washboard!" The 'lucky' fan girl shouted as she pointed at her rival much to the ire of their chūnin sensei. "Your love ain't nothing to my-"

Her 'what' we would never know as the scarred chūnin exploded in a raging storm of KI.

"QUIET!"

'Now THAT'S more like it!' The voice in Naruto's head said approvingly.

Of course, in the grave-yard silence that followed, Naruto still didn't hear it.

"Anymore disturbances..." Iruka left the threat hanging. "Team seven, jōnin sensei: Hatake Kakashi."

Just before he could continue, he was interrupted again, only this time, by the head teacher of the Academy.

"Good morning, Iruka-san." The brunette nodded in greeting. "I trust all is going well?"

"Good morning Hibiki-sama." Iruka greeted back. "Everything is going smoothly."

Both Ino and Sakura were tempted to say something but we're instantly shut up by the glare their teacher shot at them.

Who knew that the mild sensei could be so... Harsh?

"Well then, I would like to sit here and watch." Hibiki smiled. "Seeing them grow is a reward I always enjoy."

"You really don't have to ask Hibiki-sama." Iruka pointed at his seat. "Please enjoy yourself."

Going back to the scroll in his hand. Iruka read out the next team. "Team eight. Teammates: Hyūga Hinata, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba. Jōnin sensei: Yūhi Kurenai."

Apart from a slight whoop from the Inuzuka, there was no outward response from the members of team eight.

Inwardly though, a certain person was throwing a tantrum...

'Why? Just when he finally asks me out I get stuck on a totally different team? Murphy you son of a bitch if I get my hands on you there won't be a number for the total Jyūken strikes I'll slam into you!'

Moving on...

"Team ten, teammates: Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chōji and Nara Shikamaru. Jōnin sensei: Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Response: a groan and a head slam, munching on even MORE chips and a mutter of 'troublesome' followed by a lazy yawn.

"Team nine, teammates: Kaguya Tsubame, Misora Kazehana and Uzumaki Naruto. Jōnin sen-"

AGAIN the chūnin was interrupted, this time by a loud cry of 'what?' echoing around the class.

The loudest yell, however, came from behind the chūnin.

"Umino-san explain to me how it is that he graduated." The raging Hibiki asked through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps we should take this outside for a while." Iruka murmured. "The reasons are tied to... Laws..."

Catching onto the hidden message, the brunette swept out of the room in a rage.

"Damn." Iruka muttered as he followed her out.

—~ ~—

"Umino-san what is the meaning of this?" Hibiki asked as she stormed into her office. "I distinctly remember that he failed the graduation exam yesterday. Who graduated him?"

Iruka took a deep breath in and prepared himself for the coming explosion. "I did."

Three.

Two.

One.

"WHAT?"

"I said I graduated Uzumaki Naruto." He instantly threw his hands up in a pacifying posture. "I, however, did so under the orders of Hokage-sama."

Apparently, that was the right thing to say as, immediately she heard that her leader had a hand in the 'demon's' graduation, she calmed down somewhat.

"Why would he promote the... thing?" She asked a bit more civilly this time. "Does he not remember what it did to our people?"

Iruka took a deep breath in. What he was about to say was something he would never of his own volition. However, the Hokage, through his secretary had relayed a message to him just as he woke up this morning. She had come to him in the hospital to explain some things to him.

—~FLASHBACK~—

"Good morning Iruka. Feeling better yet?" A soft voice asked as the door to his room squeaked open.

The scarred chūnin lifted his arm off his face and turned to see his visitor. She was looking splendid as always though for some reason, she had a black trenchcoat on... "Ah! Momioka-san! Good morning. I'm feeling much better thank you. The medics are wonderful as usual."

"That's great! Wonderful in fact." The blonde replied as she took a seat beside him. "Have you called anyone to take over the allocation of the new genin to their teams?"

"Unfortunately not yet." He replied. "I was considering calling up either Uluquiorra Nnoitora or Hitsugaya Toshiro to help me out. Both owe me favors so..."

"Don't bother. We need you to be the one there today." Rangiku cut him off as she put her hand into the trenchcoat and pulled out an envelope.

"We?" He asked in confusion as she pulled out a scroll, a folded piece of paper and another, smaller but bulkier, envelope.

"Yes. We." Taking in a deep breath, she quickly explained everything that had happened between the time he left the Council Room the night before and the time the Hokage left.

"I'm impressed. Some of Naruto's classmates actually stood up for him? Wish I was there to see that."

"Regardless of their opinions, the Hokage had to pull a bit of wool over the eyes of the Council and he did so by saying that he gave you permission to promote Naruto. The first scroll is the cover for that."

Reaching out a bit stiffly (for all their great work on him the medics were not Tsunade. There were bound to be a few stiff parts), he picked the scroll, unrolled it and read its contents.

"A B-ranked 'Investigation and Possible Apprehension' mission? I didn't even know missions like this existed."

"To most shinobi, they don't." Rangiku answered. "However, to the few that receive such missions, they do."

"What's it all about?"

"Unlike the more common 'Assassination' or 'Escort' missions, these missions are almost always internal. They involve investigating a specific person or group of people who seem to be working against the interests of the Village. Only the Hokage and those he sees fit to know about it will and it is never to be spoken of when completed. There are rarely ever more than one or two of these missions assigned in a year though." Rangiku explained.

"Making it the perfect mission to be handed out given the situation." Iruka nodded.

"Exactly. A similar mission scroll is being held in waiting for Naruto as his cover. It will also cover how you had the authority to promote him."

Iruka's respect for his Hokage grew. To think that this entire ploy was created on the spot. "Interesting. Hokage-sama definitely has this all planned out."

"He does. However, to the real reason I came to meet you: the Academy."

It took a few seconds but then it clicked in the chūnin's mind. "There has to be a cover for this that will also avoid too much interest."

"Exactly." The blonde woman smiled approvingly for a second before her face tightened up. "Hokage-sama has a plan but you will most definitely not like your part in it."

With a small frown, Iruka took the folded paper.

"I have to say that?" He whispered furiously. "Why?"

"I don't like it either Iruka but this is the best way to appease the civilians. It won't settle things completely but its might reduce some of the hate. Or just turn it into something less than hate." She replied resignedly.

"Or turn into something more than hate!"

"Look! I don't like this either but we don't have a choice here and you're the only one we can trust this to. As soon as he is done with his jōnin-sensei for the day we will call him over and explain it to him to avoid any misconceptions on his part." She shot back. "Now. I need to leave so I can deliver a letter to the doctor that will allow you permission to leave for the allocation."

With that, she stood up to leave.

"I don't like doing this." Iruka stated, dissatisfaction evident in his tone. "However, I will do it for Naruto."

Now standing by the door, Rangiku nodded once. "The bulky envelope has your pay in it."

And with that, she left.

—~FLASHBACK END~—

Iruka sighed inwardly before he steeled himself. Like it or not this was for Naruto. His 'little brother' needed protection and he would protect him.

"Hokage-sama told me to explain to you that promoting him was a strategic move. As much as people don't like the boy he still contains a massive amount of power."

"Power that should never be trained!" Hibiki spat in disgust.

"That's not the opinion of our enemies." Iruka replied. "Iwagakure and Kumogakure have two jinchūriki each. All four are rumored to be able to harness the power of their beast. As much as I hate to admit it, Konoha has no shinobi powerful enough to face off against one bijū to say nothing of two. As such, we need the boy's power harnessed."

"And if it turns on us?"

"It could be a problem however Hokage-sama says that he has something he can use to keep it in line."

The brunette woman scowled as she thought over the idea of training the demon that had killed so many of her loved ones... Yet she knew that if they ever faced such a threat again it could be their only hope...

"I do hope Hokage-sama can control it..." She muttered darkly.

"He wouldn't be the 'Shinobi no Kami' if he didn't have a few tricks up his sleeve." Was Iruka's reply.

"Fine." She growled out. "Return and finish the allocation."

With a small smile, the scarred chūnin left her office.

—~ ~—

Upon getting back to class, it was hardly a surprise to see most of the other graduands swarming Naruto with questions. It was, however, astonishing that the blond wasn't on the table screaming out how awesome he was to have beaten up a chūnin. Instead, he had his fingers entwined behind his head and was whistling softly.

"Alright break it up!" Iruka yelled. With small growls the students returned to their seats and Naruto threw a discrete thumbs-up at his sensei. 'Guess he was getting a bit stressed under all that pressure.'

With that settled, the scarred chūnin picked the allocation scroll to continue from where he'd stopped. "Team nine, teammates: Kaguya Tsubame, Misora Kazehana and Uzumaki Naruto. Jōnin-sensei: Mitarashi Anko."

He arched an eyebrow upon reading out her name. Wasn't she a tokubetsu jōnin? Eh well, whatever the Hokage felt was necessary.

"Now, eager as you all undoubtedly are, you might have to wait a bit until your sensei get here. Train hard, listen to your sensei and be the damned best you can be."

With that, he strolled out of the class.

"Alright! Spill the beans Naruto!" Kiba growled as soon as the chūnin stepped out of the class. "How the hell did a dead last idiot like you pass? You sure as hell didn't make it yesterday!"

Ignoring the boy, Naruto simply turned to the blushing girl beside him. "Hey Hinata-chan. Can we take that walk now?"

"N-n-now?" She stammered. 'He really meant it?'

"Sure! You heard Iruka-sensei! The jōnin are typically busy so they might not be here for a while. Let's go!" The blond replied with his wide grin.

"O-ok."

Again, totally ignoring his classmates, Naruto grasped Hinata's hand and pulled her out with him, throwing a discrete thumbs-up before he left the room.

"OK... Am I the only one that saw the dobe totally ignore Sakura and talk to Hinata?" Kiba asked with a confused look on his face.

"What I'm more interested in knowing is how the hell he graduated!" Sakura scowled. "He failed yesterday didn't he?"

Ino, a very sly grin stretching her lips, turned to both of the blond's friends...

Only for Tsubame to glance at her disinterestedly. "Don't bother. We're about as knowledgeable about it as you are."

With that, the silver haired girl put her feet on the table and linked her hands behind her head while her redheaded friend simply pulled out a small book from her hip pouch and flipped it open to a dog-eared page.

"Well... That's a bust."

—~ ~—

Hinata and Naruto quietly sat on the stairs leading into the Academy in silence, both unsure of what to say.

'Damn! I should have asked Tsu-chan to give me a few pointers on what to say!'

'I really wish I knew what to say to Naruto-kun. He must be feeling a bit weird about talking now...'

Finally, growing more than a little uncomfortable with the silence, Naruto spoke up. "Hey Hinata-chan? I'm sorry."

The blue haired girl recoiled in shock. Sorry? "F-f-for w-what?"

"Never seeing you." Naruto replied bluntly. If he was going to take the girls' advice then he might as well jump straight in. "I mean, throughout our stay here I never really saw you for who you were. I always thought you were a bit weird because of the way you were always red-faced so I never took time to be your friend. And I'm sorry for that."

The Hyūga's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. He was sad that he never got to know her? Where was this coming from? "A-ano, it alright Naruto-kun."

"No. It's not." He replied, sadness seemingly creeping into his voice. "I mean, I always wanted to be seen for being me and to be acknowledged. You were always there in the background but because I was always chasing Sakura-chan I never took time to acknowledge you. Talk about hypocritical."

Hinata could only remain silent as the blond spoke of things that had hurt her over the years. With all the things going on at home, the Academy was her escape of sorts and Naruto and his undying will were her anchors. Yet she had always wished that he would even speak to her instead of her pink-haired classmate. Listening to him now, she could only remain silent.

"And then, after a shitload of things were dropped on me, I got to realize that you weren't weird. You just liked me." The blond looked into her lavender eyes and smiled. Thank Kami that the younger grades had gone home for a quick holiday break or else this would have been totally awkward.

Hinata wanted to cry. Scratch that, she wanted to rail up against the cosmic entities and bawl her eyes out. Why the fuck was life so unfair?! The only guy she ever liked finally discovered that she liked her on the day they would be torn apart. Stupid team allocation and stupid whoever the fuck had thrown her into a team without Naruto!

"B-but now that we're in d-different teams how will we ever get to know each other?"

"Well, I was worried about the same thing until our jōnin-sensei were announced!" Naruto replied happily. "You got Yūhi Kurenai right?"

She nodded uncertainly.

"Well, I got Anko Mitarashi." Naruto cheered. "They're best friends so I think we might be able to persuade them to let us work together! Then we can get to know each other more!"

A small light of hope sparked in her eyes as the blond spoke and and it had grown into a great flame by the time he was done. "We can get to see each other!"

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered again. Just as he was about to offer to walk her back inside he remembered something else Tsubame (or was it Kazehana? Whatever) had told him back home.

Something about letting her know that there could be someone else out there for her...

Not knowing how to say such a thing, he just decided to throw it in and watch her reaction to it. "We could even get to know if we're gonna be OK together or whether to get to know someone else while still being friends!"

Watching Hinata's face drop back into despondency made him feel like he'd kicked a puppy.

'I really hope telling her that was a good idea.' He thought with an inward wince as he asked her to walk with him back to class.

—~ ~—

"Well its about damned time!" Kiba snapped as the two walked back into the classroom, his canine familiar yipping in what seemed to be agreement. "Could you two have stated out any longer?"

"Oi! What crawled up and died in your ass?" Naruto fired back defensively. He could see the looks of interest in the eyes of the remaining students (apparently, only the newly minted teams seven, nmeight and nine remained in the room) and he was really not in the mood for this.

"Only that I've been waiting for your return with my genin." A familiar female voice answered from behind him. "That enough of a reason?"

Turning slowly, he looked up a bit to start into the only other pair of natural red eyes that he knew.

With flowing black hair accentuating the beauty of her face and clothed in what seemed to be broad strips of bandages combined with her aloof personality, she had an almost ethereal, haunting beauty that had her ranked as one of the most beautiful women in Konoha.

Not that any of these crossed the blond's mind.

"Kurenai-san!" He smiled happily at the woman. "You're here early!"

With a small scoff she replied. "Like I'd be late... I'm not a certain man, you know?"

Throwing a small, pitiful glance at the members of team seven, the blond shook his head sadly. "They're gonna be here quite a while."

"True... So, wanna give me back my genin?"

"Ah yeah!" Naruto exclaimed having forgotten her reason for being her. Turning to the timid girl by his side hr pointed to Kurenai with a smile. "Hey Hinata-chan, this is Yūhi Kurenai! She's the friend I talked about."

Glancing up, the blue haired Hyūga shot out a meek "Hello" before ducking her head again.

With a raised eyebrow, Kurenai studied the girl. No matter how good or bad she was, she'd never amount to anything if the confidence issue wasn't quickly taken care of. That would have to join the small schedule she'd put together for her team. "Well then, thanks for taking care of my young lady here but team eight have to get the ball rolling."

"Bye Kurenai-san!" Naruto greeted as the woman gently took hinata:'s hand to lead her out.

"Bye Naruto." Kurenai smiled back. "Hey Hana-chan, Tsu-chan, keep him out of trouble. We all know how much he sucks at doing that on his own."

"OI!"

Ignoring their best-friend's indignant yell, both girls smiled happily. "Won't be a problem Kurenai-san!"

With a final wave to them, Kurenai walked out with her team.

"Oi Blondie! Get your ass over here!" Tsubame shouted to him.

Shaking his head for the umpteenth time at the nickname, he bounded across the tables to get to her.

"So? How'd it go?" Kazehana asked as he sat between them.

"As well as it could go without knowing exactly what to say." He shrugged. "I apologized for not noticing her and offered to ask if Kurenai-san and Nee-chan would allow us to train together sometimes."

"What else?" Tsubame asked eagerly. "Did you talk about the possibility of finding someone else?"

"I did and I felt like a total villain after it." Naruto sighed. "She looked like a puppy someone kicked in the stomach."

"Damn." The redhead swore softly. "Well, maybe-"

"The brats of team nine?" Anko called out from the doorway. "Meet me at 'that' training ground."

Immediately after, she disappeared in a shushin.

"Think she means..." Naruto started.

"Yup." Both girls nodded before bursting into a run. "Race ya!"

"Not fair!" Naruto yelled as he vaulted the tables and broke into a run after them.

Managing to toss a quick 'bye' to the members of team seven, he dashed out if the class doors, his head already calculating the fastest path through the Village to his destination.

—~ ~—

"Damn it!" Tsubame swore as she landed in the grassy field of the training ground. The reason for her expletive was seated under the shade of a tree, resting calmly on the trunk and grinning cheekily at her. "How the hell did you manage to make it here before we did?"

Just then, their redheaded friend dived out of some shrubs and rolled to a stop. "Did we make it?"

"Nope." Naruto answered happily. "I'm still the fastest of the three."

"Only because you know all the shortcuts!" Kazehana shot back amidst puffs of air.

"Glad to see you all made it." Anko called out.

Turning, they saw her seated in a tree a few meters from them, picking her teeth with a dango stick. "You actually made it a few minutes earlier than I'd predicted."

"Yo Anko-nee!" Naruto greeted with a wide grin. "Or should I say Anko-sensei?"

"For now, whichever floats your boat." The purple haired woman shrugged. "Before we go on, I'd like to introduce to you your secondary sensei: Yūgao Uzuki. Or, as you're more familiar with: Neko."

From the behind the tree Anko sat in came another purple haired woman. Contrasting Anko's short ponytail, she had longer hair that flowed down to her shoulders. She was dressed in standard ANBU gear though the mask was absent.

"Hello Naruto, Kazehana, Tsubame."

"Woah! We get an ANBU as our sensei too? Awesome!" Naruto yelled in his usual happy tone.

The girls, on the other hand, were a tad more curious.

"Not that I don't like having you here, Yūgao-sensei, but why exactly do we need two sensei?" Tsubame asked.

"That's because you guys have a Strategic Resource on your team." Anko replied as she jumped off her branch to land beside the firmer ANBU. "Your graduating set is the most valuable in recent times. You have every single clan heir plus the last of a near-extinct clan plus Naruto here. If anyone from your set dies, the clans of Konoha might have problems with their heirachy which will lead to a weaker Village. That's why you guys get some of the most powerful jōnin in the Village."

Yūgao took over the explanation: "Hatake-san, being possibly the most powerful after Hokage-sama trains the last Uchiha while protecting him from threats. The new generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō formation get Sarutobi-san, Hokage-sama's son who will undoubtedly be an excellent sensei for them while being powerful enough to hold off any threats on their lives. Kurenai-san trains the heirs to the Hyūga, Aburame and Inuzuka clan while being string enough to protect them from threats until support can arrive."

"And Yūgao and I get to whip you guys into shape!" Anko finished with a bone-chilling smile.

"But i'm not special." Naruto said in confusion. He could get every other part but, as far as he knew, he wasn't anything spectacular.

The two purple haired women glanced at each other, worth flashing over their features.

"Naruto, the truth is, much as the villagers don't like you, being a jinchūriki is more than just being a prison for a powerful entity." Anko started softly. "Jinchūriki are... weapons... Konoha has never treated any of its jinchūriki like that but then again, you're the first jinchūriki that Konoha citizens actually know about."

"There was another Council meeting this morning and Hokage-sama chose me to escort him." Yūgao stated. "The Civilian Division lobbied for you to be placed under the Strategic Resources Program."

"The what now?" Kazehana asked. In all her pretty extensive readings she had never come across something like this.

"It's a program that is designed to enhance the battle capabilities of a shinobi of extraordinary talents. However, it has had the side-effect of estranging them from others. As such, it, entry into the SRP is voluntary and the volunteers are always informed of the risk."

"That's what they wanted Naruto to be part of?" Tsubame hissed angrily. "I swear the dammed Civilians are way too overrated!"

"Maybe. Anyway, Hokage-sama denied their request. He did, however, grant them a seeming compromise: you, Naruto, have been elevated to the rank of being a Strategic Resource. As such, you have been granted a few benefits. One of those being this training field. The others, Hokage-sama will tell you about later."

"What's up with the training field?" Tsubame asked.

"Besides the fact that it's one of the farthest from the Village?" Anko asked amusedly. "It was also your mom's training field."

Silence dominated for a few seconds then Naruto jumped up. "Really? My mom's?"

Yūgao smiled. "Yeah. Because of Konoha's close ties to Uzushiogakure, an entire area of land was dedicated to the envoys of Uzu for their stay whenever they came around. After the... genocidal war on Uzu, your mom was the last known Uzumaki so this field was given to her. It was here that she trained her genin... Myself inclusive."

Naruto's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "You were a genin under my mom?!"

"Yes she was." Anko cut in as she pulled out two paper balls."And you'll only get anymore info if you can pass the true genin test."

"The what?!" Naruto yelled. "So what the hell did we do in the Academy yesterday?"

"That?" Anko scoffed as she held out the two balls in her palms. "That was just to make sure no wimps graduated. "This test is to determine whether or not you've got what it takes to be truly inducted into Konoha's shinobi forces."

Upon hearing this, the three stood straight and glared at the trenchcoat-wearing woman.

"What do we need to do?" Kazehana asked.

"Simple. Get these balls from me by any means. Don't get a ball? Back to the Academy it is."

Naruto clenched his jaw angrily. This had to be a sick joke. Back to the Academy? Only two people in his set were older than the rest so something was off with this entire thing...

"Now, rules are simple: come at me with the intent to kill cause I'll be doing the same to stop you from getting these balls. You have just one hour to get them so I'd advise you to get going and not waste time jabbering. Your time starts... Now!"

With that, she vanished in a swirl of leaves and smoke.

"Guys? Something's off about this." Tsubame stated, unwittingly echoing all their individual thoughts.

"I agree." Kazehana nodded. "She:s pushing us to get those balls for a reason but there are only two..."

"Yeah... And she's a jōnin..." Naruto added, all his enhanced senses darting about to get a hint of the woman's location. "Newly minted, yeah, but her skill level must be well above ours for her to have been given that rank. Individual efforts aren't going to cut this."

"Teamwork it is." Tsubame nodded. "Naruto, can you do that replicating thing you did yesterday?"

Memory flashing, he grasped what his silver-haired friend meant. "I believe so, yeah."

"Okay... I've got a plan..."

—~ ~—

Anko glanced at her wristwatch impatiently. It had been over ten minutes since she'd left them so what exactly was holding them? Had she not baited them enough?

Just as she was about to crawl out of her hiding place, she heard a loud yell of 'gotcha!' from behind.

Instantly, she dived out of her hiding place, tucking herself into a roll as she went.

With a quick move, she jumped to her feet and turned to glare at the blond behind her.

"Well, even if you're bound to fail, the least I can do is to is to give you a few pointers..." She mused. "One: never yell an attack if you can help it. It gives your opponent time to escape."

With a small growl, the orange clad boy charged forward. As soon as he got in close, he lashed out with a series of combos, punches, kicks and a few elbows flying at her.

With a barely restrained grin, she danced around each attack, watching as he tried to correct each sloppy attack and failing miserably. Deciding to put him out of his misery, she lashed out with a fist only for him to grin and duck beneath it.

Feeling the explosion of chakra from him, she instantly leapt back, giving him a large amount of room.

A moment later, she was glad she did.

The clearing she had backed out of was swamped with a horde of orange wearing blonds, each with a shit eating grin on their face.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" They yelled before diving forward to attack.

"Aren't I a fast learner?" One clone asked as it attempted to punch her in the gut.

Returning fire with a blindingly fast punch of her own, Anko's face stretched into a smirk. "I guess you are. So time for lesson two!" She instinctively ducked, letting another clone fly over her head, fist outstretched.

"Lesson two;" she shouted as she grabbed the clone's foot and swung him around like a bludgeon. "Quantity doesn't mean squat against significantly greater quality!"

Having let the unlucky clone go straight into another cluster of the damned things, she tossed a ball up, pulled out a kunai and then let the ball drop into her pocket.

—~ ~—

Watching their soon-to-be sensei mowing through the clones, the girls glanced at each other.

"Damn she's good!" Tsubame commented.

"Yeah she is." Naruto agreed from behind them. "I'm here now, though, so you can start your part."

Immediately he said so, they let loose a hail of kunai and shuriken at their target.

A few minutes later, they felt a small impact on their necks.

—~ ~—

"What happened?" Naruto slurred as he opened his eyes.

"Lesson three." Yūgao smiled at him. "Never take your eyes off your opponents."

"But I was watching Anko-" he then facepalmed as he realized what she meant. "Yeah... You were in on it too huh?"

"Yeah." Yūgao nodded. "I'm surprised that you're already up. Your friends are still in dreamland."

The blond just shrugged. "I've always healed fast. Must be a part of it. So, where's Anko-sensei?"

"She left to register team nine as an official team."

"Wait. We passed?"

"You did." Yūgao confirmed. "The test wasn't actually for you to get the bells. It was a test to see if you could work together or crack under pressure."

"YATTA! WE PASSED!"

—~ ~—

And Cut!

Too tired to say much now so I'll just say this:

I have a plan for Hinata.

Read & Review Please.

The Ethereal Lord.


	8. Chapter 7

Merry Christmas to you guys out there!

It pains me to see that I basically am not getting any feedback. I mean, honestly: 9 favs, 15 follows and 4 reviews? Come on guys! I need reviews! Say something (not spiteful though)! Its getting harder to feel motivated without any feedback. So please. Review this story. Lemme know what you like and don't like. Stuff I should change. I can't promise that I will change everything you ask me to but I will consider it. Please review.

— _ **~ ~—**_

 _ **Chapter 7**_

"Where are they dammit?!" Naruto growled softly.

It was the morning after the 'true genin' test and he wanted to get to the training ground quickly as Anko had threatened to put them through hell if they were late.

Unfortunately, the girls had woken up with a hankering to change their wardrobe as, according to Kazehana, "we're genin now. We need to get out of the old Academy stuff. And that includes you."

Thus leading to him waiting impatiently in an alley to avoid being seen while he bitched about their lateness.

"For Kami's sake, where the fuck are they?!"

Yeah... Like that.

Bored out of his skull with the waiting, he took out a weird, frog-shaped thing from his pocket and read the note attached:

 _'Hey-o Gaki!_

 _How's it hanging? Been a good boy? Ah screw being a good boy! Just be the fun-loving brat I know and train hard to be strong. That's pretty much what I did and I'm hailed as one of the most powerful ninja of our time!_

 _Attached to this note is a weird frog thing. Freaked out? Don't be._

 _I present to you: Gama-chan!_

 _Its a special wallet I was given by some pretty bad-ass beings._

 _Basically, Gama will store your money for you. Unlike most other wallets, though, Gama can hear you and react in slight ways. For example: if you have a thousand ryo in Gama and you wanna buy stuff of two thousand, Gama's gonna look sad. It means he doesn't contain enough money to suit your needs at that time. The opposite applies as well._

 _Anyway, explore about with him and you'll learn more!_

 _I'll keep watching over ya so you better remain strong and get even stronger! You've got a good heart kid. Dont ever lose that._

 _And say hi to those beautiful beauties you have as friends!_

 _Your... Whatever you wanna call me until we meet!_

The note ended with a drawing of a toad with red markings down its cheeks.

Naruto honestly didn't know what to make of the gift. The wallet wasn't bad looking. A bit geeky, yeah, but that just made it cooler to him. No, the real issue was that he wasn't sure who had sent it to him. He'd just met it on his bedside table that Anko had given him back when Jiji had all but given him the apartment.

He might have been a bit of a sleeper and he sure as hell wasn't an early riser but the first few years of his life had taught him that heavy sleeping was an easy way to get himself hurt...

The blond shook the usual creeping feelings of hurt and pain from his head. No use getting bogged down in all that crap now. 'Whoever put that in my room must be really good at getting into places sneakily... Too bad in a village of shinobi that narrows the suspect list to every single ninja in there...'

Finally, he just shrugged. He'd be damned if he wasn't going to use the damned thing especially if it worked like the letter claimed.

"Blondie!"

Naruto, upon hearing his name, turned to the entrance of the alley.

And he was promptly stumped.

When the girls had woken up with a hankering for new clothes, her had wondered about their seemingly misplaced priorities.

I mean, they were risking the wrath of the single most sadistic woman in Konoha for getting new threads. It was crazy.

Seeing them now, he felt the madness was justified.

Focusing first on his silver haired friend, he could barely recognize her. Gone were her old grey jeans and her baggy brown T-shirt. Now, she was clad in a long-sleeved, body fitting black blouse that was tucked into a mid-thigh length black skirt with flared ends. Two brown belts, one wider than the other, were wrapped about her waist, both tilted to form an 'x'. Her hair, formerly just hanging down her shoulders with what she had dubbed 'the black strand' always sticking up was now cut to frame her face, her hitai-ate tied to her forehead to keep any stray bangs out of her line of vision and the rest of its considerable length pulled back into a ponytail (the Strand still stuck up though. That damned thing defied every law of gravity and hair care). Rounding out the ensemble, she wore black fingerless gloves and black knee-length boots.

Kazehana had also ditched her old black cargo shorts and favorite blue shirt in favour of a loose, yet not baggy, black body suit that stretched from her neck to her ankles. Over it, she wore a... what was it called? A corset? Well, whatever it was, it looked like a really small, blue strapless gown that covered her from just above her boobs to just below her butt with slits in four corners from the lower hem to just above her belly button. Her hitai-ate, formerly in her hair, was now tied around her waist like a sort of make-shift belt. Her hair remained in its old style of two shoulder-length bangs framing her cheeks while the rest she had flowing down her back. Unlike Tsubame, she didn't have the fingerless gloves and she wore dark blue shinobi sandals instead of the boots.

"I was considering asking how we looked but judging by your gaping expression, I'd say we look good." Tsubame smirked as she did a quick spin.

"Look good?" Naruto repeated in total shock. "You look totally badass!"

"Yeah, well we got something for you to wear too." Kazehana smiled as she lifted a bag. "The rest of our orders will be delivered to the apartment later today."

"Nee-chan's gonna be thrown for a loop."

—~ ~—

Anko was pissed. Like I'll-castrate-you-with-a-rusty-kunai pissed.

Why? Well, for all her numerous faults, and she knew that hers really were numerous... she was sadistic, sarcastic, cruel, a bit pessimistic... you get the drill.

Anyway, for all her faults, Anko knew that she was never late. She hated tardiness and so whenever she had to be somewhere, she made sure she was there right on time. Early, in fact, if she could make it.

On the flip side, though, she hated others being tardy. In fact, while she could bullshit around with the Cyclops himself, she was the only one she knew whom Kakashi was never late to meet.

Unfortunately for her new genin squad, they were five minutes late. And in Anko's world, five minutes of tardiness weighed as much as an hour of delay to regular humans.

"Where the fuck are they?" She snarled as the unlucky dango stick she just finished with was hurled, with astonishing force from a woman of her size, into the trunk of a tree opposite hers.

"You might wanna calm down, Anko." Yūgao sighed from her spot a bit higher up the tree Anko paced around. She was laying back against the trunk, a novel in her hand as she enjoyed the mild weather in a way that no active ANBU could dream of. "Popping a blood vessel would be contrary to your desires at the moment."

"Popping a blood vessel would be exactly what those brats want so that I don't end up killing them on their first day!" Anko snapped.

Arching her eyebrow, the purple haired ANBU dropped her novel and turned to her partner. "You know, I don't think I understand you. I mean, I know we're just getting ti know each other but your fixation on their lateness seems a little... I dunno, weird?"

Anko stored here restless pacing to glance at Yūgao before quickly averting her eyes from the woman's expectant look. How could she explain that she hated lateness because of him? How could she open up to a woman she had just truly met the day before and tell her that she despised tardiness because the village's greatest traitor and her former sensei had always been a bit late to their team meetings because he had been spending time... experimenting... on people?

"Anko?"

Jarred out her thoughts, Anko glanced back at Yūgao. Better if she didn't know... "I'm fine... Sorry, I just got lost thinking about how much I want to torture those little bastards. What did you say?"

Yūgao's arched eyebrow remained itln its position for about a second before she shrugged and relaxed herself. "Ah don't worry about it. Just try not to run them away from being ninja eh?"

She knew that Anko was lying. Her years of being in the ANBU had sharpened her senses such that she had not missed the way her eyes had darted about guiltily. No doubt that the answer to her question was tied to Orochimaru...

"If they quit then they were never going to be great shinobi." Anko replied harshly. "I'd rather not be a jōnin than train a bunch of underachievers."

Just then, the late bunch jumped into the clearing.

"Hey Anko-sensei!" Naruto grinned as he landed a few feet away. "Sorry for being late but we stopped to get some clothes along the way. Hope you aren't too pissed."

Yūgao, who had just started to pick her novel, dropped it to see them.

And she was stumped.

She'd suspected that the girls could clean up nicely but the blond haired boy was the one who truly grabbed her attention.

Gone was the obnoxiously bright orange jumpsuit that he'd formerly worn. Now, he wearing a pair of black pants with a black jacket over it. The jacket's zipper was down, showing its orange inner lining and baring his torso which was covered by a dull orange shirt that had an intricately designed symbol of Konoha intertwined with the spiral symbol of Uzushio. His headband was around his forehead, keeping his bangs out of his eyes and he wore black shinobi sandals and fingerless gloves.

Altogether not a bad ensemble.

"You mean you were delayed because you wanted to get a change of wardrobe?" Anko asked in a strangely calm voice.

"Um... Yeah?" Tsubame hesitantly answered.

Anko just sighed. "I wanted to put you through hell for being so late but you'll get off with a warning this time."

The three genin released a breath they didn't realize they had been holding only to suck it back in as they felt a pressure that was oddly reminiscent of what Iruka had used on them the day before.

"However. You will hear the rules of being in this team as well as your schedule. Any more lateness or deviation from laid down riled without a suitable explanation and you'll wish I would kill you and get things over with."

The three gulped and nodded quickly.

The pressure let off instantly. "Good. Now let's begin with introductions."

"Um..." Naruto paused as he tried to get back some of the oxygen that had somehow left his body. "You mind going first sensei?"

Anko shrugged. "Fine. I'll go then Yūgao. Settled down. "

As soon as they had made themselves comfortable, Anko started: "I'm Anko Mitarashi, recently promoted jōnin of Konohagakure. Let's ignore age. I like dango, Nai-chan, training and frightening the secrets out of enemies. I dislike liars and traitors. Goal... I wanna kill Orochimaru. Barring that, I wanna train whoever's gonna kill the bastard. Barring that... I wanna be a badass kunoichi, retire and live with a guy I like and have my own litter of gakis. Yūgao?"

"Well, I'm Yūgao Uzuki, formerly of the ANBU, now a jōnin of Konohagakure. Skipping age, I like kenjutsu, reading and cooking. Dislikes... Same as Anko I guess though I have a slight dislike of blatant perverts. Goals? To become one of the greatest kenjutsu mistresses the world has ever known. Uh... Tsubame."

"Tsubame Kaguya, newly minted genin of team nine. Likes are sitting beside me but I also enjoy reading up strategies and playing Shoji. Dislikes are blind bastards who simply can't get outta the past." Here, she squeezed Naruto's hand gently. "Goal? Honestly? Can't say I've thought of it. Guess I'm just gonna be a certain blond's aid as he presses on to obtain his goal."

"Think up a goal for yourself." Anko stated. "It helps to keep your focus when things seem to be unsteady. Hana. You're up."

"I'm Kazehana Misora. Pretty much the same with Tsubame though I like reading broadly. Same dislikes too. My goal is to be just as badass-awesome as Naruto!"

"Hey! Don't ruffle my hair that way!" Naruto groaned as his friend just kept on ruffling.

"My turn I guess." He sighed. "Naruto Uzumaki. Like Tsu-chan and Hana-chan and every other person who has never looked at me with hate in their eyes. Also like training. Dislike? That has to be the damned three minutes it takes to make instant ramen. Goal? To obliterate the Fourth Hokage's accomplishments and to be the greatest damned Hokage this Village has ever seen."

Anko arched her eyebrows. "Really? Then you had better listen up."

Immediately, all three perked up.

"To remain in this team I have a few rules: one- no lateness. Two- do as we say during training. On missions you can offer suggestions but during trainings, our word is law until further notice. Three- no quitting. Wanna quit? Do so now because after this chance I will train you with every bit of sadistic pleasure I use to torture my victims. Yūgao and I already agreed to this and so she will not be taking it easy on you either. Are we clear?"

The three friends glanced at each other. This was it. No turning back...

"We're in." Tsubame answered confidently and her two friends nodded sharply in support.

"Good." Yūgao smiled as she took over. "Now, for the next two weeks, we will work on your physical stats. Your strength, speed, stamina, flexibility and other things pertaining to your physical body. We need to get you accustomed to the actual rigors of being a shinobi. When the two weeks are up, we'll begin to work on your taijutsu and chakra control."

"We'll also add something to make the physical training a little more... Challenging..." Anko added with a very small but very scary smile. "You'll show up here by six every morning except on Sundays. The regime will be altered to keep you on your feet. You'll work till ten and then you'll work on mastering your Academy taijutsu katas."

Tsubame's hand shot up. "I thought taijutsu training was to start in two weeks?"

"They will. However, we need you to have a clear understanding of the basics of taijutsu. The Academy taijutsu may not be the best but the sixteen kata that make it up are the basics of almost every other taijutsu style." Yūgao explained. "You'll work on mastering ten of the sixteen katas: six short and four long. You're not limited to these though and if you can, master all sixteen."

"Yeah. After working on the kata till twelve, you'll take a two hour break, Yūgao will show you where, during that you'll get your books out and read up on various topics we'll choose for you."

"Aww man!" Naruto groaned. "Reading?"

"Intelligence is the greatest asset of a shinobi, Naruto! Iruka-sensei told us that." Kazehana bopped him over the head.

"Thanks for that Red." Anko smirked at Naruto's treatment.

"Anyway, after the break, you'll head back out for more kata practice. By four, you'll continue the physical training. That will be it for the first two weeks." Yūgao finished.

"Now... Instead of wasting time yapping, let's get to work..." Anko grinned.

It was the type of grin that would have had most grown men shitting their pants...

—~ ~—

 _ **Two Weeks Later...**_

"You know, when Anko-sensei said she'd put us through hell I didn't expect to go through all of this..." Tsubame groaned as she pulled her shirt up to just beneath her growing chest to expose more skin to the cool breeze that was blowing.

"Are you telling me." Kazehana moaned in agreement. She had long since ditched the blue part of her clothing and taken to pulling her zipper down as far as her belly button after their physical training sessions. "I feel like I've been turned inside out and my muscles have been marinated with salt!"

Their normally hyperactive blond friend didn't even bother to speak. Or maybe he was just way too tired. Either way, he was sprawled underneath the large tree Anko had sat on when they'd had their first meeting right between the two girls. Like them, he had ditched his jacket shirt, leaving him in his thin white singlet.

"Yo gakis!" The source of their pain, well, one half of the source anyway, was seated casually on what had become her personal seat. "How're you feeling?"

"Like..." Kazehana started only to cut herself off. "Know what? Don't bother."

A mock pout formed on Anko's lips. "Aww... But I truly do care about you guys!"

"Is there a reason why my twenty minute break is getting cut?" Naruto asked tiredly. Due to his superhuman endurance, Anko and Yūgao had taken care to make sure that every routine the girls did was tripled in number for him. As such, he took the small, twenty minute break Yūgao had given before they started the reading very seriously. He had never appreciated rest as much as he did now.

"Whiskers-chan!" Anko's pout grew though her eyes twinkled mischievously. "You wound me! Such cold words to the poor woman who's-"

"Anko-sensei!" Naruto grated out through clenched teeth. "Please."

It was a mystery as to whether the plea was for her to stop or to not call him 'whiskers-chan'. It was probably both, though she didn't care. However, she decided to go a little soft on them and so she smiled. "Alright then. Head over to the Hub. We've got good news for you guys."

With that, she jumped down and walked ahead of them.

With a resigned sigh, the three genin got up, picked their scattered around stuff or, in Tsubame's case, adjusted her clothing, and took off after their sensei.

—~ ~—

"So, two weeks have come and gone since we started out." Anko started as they walked into the Hub.

Naruto, as he always had ever since they'd started using this place, paused to throw a quick glance around.

It was prerty normal: a rectangular building of about thirty feet length and twenty feet breadth. It had a simple door with an intricately designed spiral positioned dead center.

The inside was sparsely decorated: five picture frames in mint condition, one showing Naruto's parents, another showing Minato's genin squad, third one had his mom's genin squad, a blushing Yūgao inclusive, the fourth showed the third Hokage, parents again and an odd looking pair. One was a... ahem, well-endowed blonde while the other was a widely grinning white-haggired man.

The last one was the true reason he loved this place.

It showed his dad and mom standing on what looked like a cliff that overlooked the ocean. They were staring off into the sunset, arms wrapped around each other. What really made this his favorite picture was the way his... Minato's arms went just below his mom's belly, making the bulge of her stomach even more pronounced.

Etched carefully into the lower frame was a small note:

 _Minato, Kushina and Naruto._

To think that they'd thought of him even then...

"Yo Whiskers!"

He was snapped out of his reverie upon hearing his name.

"Yo Blondie, sensei has been trying to get your attention for the past couple minutes." Tsubame grinned as she flicked at his ear. "Return to us!"

With a quick shake of his head, Naruto turned to Anko. "Sorry sensei. I'm all ears now."

"Alright. As I was saying, you've completed the the two weeks of physical conditioning and Yūgao and I both agree that you've done well there." Anko smiled at them. "However, to progress to the next stage, I'll need a demonstration of your mastery of the Academy taijutsu kata.

To pass, you must be able to first; go through each of the sixteen kata singly, and second, flow through at least any ten kata. The ten kata must include six short and four long katas and you must flow through them seamlessly, showing no break between any of the kata. You must also complete the kata within a reasonable amount of time."

The three of them glanced at each other. This was it. The reason they had gone through hell in the last two weeks. Now they could progress in their training... They just had to pass this test.

"We're ready sensei." Kazehana stated.

"Alright then." Anko nodded toward the sizeable space in the center of the room. "Red, start us up."

Kazehana sucked in a deep breath as she walked to the space provided. They had worked on these kata, the three of them, and she knew each of the sixteen individually. However, at top speed, she could only flow through eight of the kata so she decided to go at a slightly slower pace so that she could at least complete the required ten.

Releasing the breath she had been holding, she settled herself in the opening stance for the Academy kata.

Watching from the sidelines, Anko had to say that she was impressed. The redhead had easily gone through the individual sixteen kata and now, she had strung together six out of the required ten kata. She wasn't going as fast as she could, Anko knew, but she held a very decent speed and, barring any errors, would complete the required ten. Maybe she'd do a bit more...

About ten minutes later, she faltered through a flow between the eighth short and the fifth long kata, resulting in a stumble.

"Bravo!" Anko clapped. "All ten complete plus two more short kata. Nice. Okay... Whiskers! You're up next."

Like Kazehana, the blond took a deep breath as he walked to the center space. He was sure he could blitz through ten, maybe eleven of the sixteen kata but he decided to take a page out of Kazehana's and instead go moderately...

Again, Anko was impressed. She had expected her hyperactive blond to simply blitz his way through the kata until he made some error or the other. However, he was going at a pretty moderate speed. Sure he was faster than Kazehana but it was still pretty moderate. 'The girls must be having a good effect on him even in training...'

"Alright! Nice job Whiskers! Fourteen of the kata! Wow. Gonna admit that I wasn't expecting that. So, Tsu-chan! Hit it!"

To say that Anko was stunned was like saying that Jiraiya was a pervert. She honestly hadn't been expecting such good results from the other two but they had blown her expectations into rubble.

Tsubame had taken the rubble and disintegrated them.

She had gone flown through each and every one of the sixteen kata perfectly at about the same speed as Naruto had. That may not seem impressive but considering that they'd just started two weeks ago...

'Damn.' Anko thought. 'Looks like Yūgao and I have diamonds in the rough.'

Of course, she couldn't afford to paused them too much lest they grow big heads so she decided to continue as she had planned.

"Okay, great performance Tsubame. Now that we're done with that, we can get to the stuff you came here for: your next phase of training."

The three swallowed nervously. They knew Anko. They'd practically lived with her for close to five years now. The way she'd said the last part of her sentence implied that they were about to descend deeper into hell.

"The main thing will start when Yūgao gets here but I'll give you a quick overview: during the next two weeks, while the old physical training continues, we'll work on your chakra control as well as getting a taijutsu style for you."

After a minute of not hearing anything from her, Naruto tentatively asked: "Is that it?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Anko shrugged. "The main challenge will be to get a taijutsu style that'll fit each of you. Other than that, we might throw in a bit of weapons training but I'm suggesting to Yūgao that we can do that after these two weeks."

"Huh." Tsubame breathed in relief. "We just might survive this."

"What'll the schedule be like, sensei?" Kazehana asked.

"Well, after we decide what styles you'll be experimenting on, your daily schedule will be pretty simple: starting hour will be five instead of six. You'll then work until eight doing physical excersises. Eight to nine will be Academy taijutsu practice. You might have proceeded well but I want you guys to master every kata and be able to flow through them all at top speed."

That silenced their questions so Anko continued. "Ten to twelve will be spent practicing your different styles until you feel attuned to a chosen style. Once attuned, you will then begin to practice the kata in your chosen style. Twelve to two will be break, with your usual twenty minutes for R&R then the remaining time will be used for studying. Two to five will then be spent on chakra control and the last hour spent on light spars to get used to your new styles."

The three were gaping at her.

"T-t-th-that much?" Naruto sputtered.

"D-daily?" Tsubame added.

"Damn we're screwed." Kazehana finished just as Yūgao walked in.

After a quick glance at their horror-stricken faces, the former ANBU just shook her head. "You told them about the new schedule?"

The satisfied smirk on her partner's face was all the answer she needed.

Yūgao just sighed at the other woman's antics as she sat on the floor beside her. For all her sadistic traits and blah-blah bad traits, Anko was pretty much just a kid in the body of a grown woman. "I got lunch. Six bowls of ramen, onigiri, your dango and red bean paste and sushi. I also got rice and plain pepper sauce."

Anko had, of course, stopped listening after 'dango'. "Mine please."

As they discussed some more about the training of both the genin and themselves, the smell of the delicious foods wafted beneath said genin and dragged them out of their stupor.

"Oh man! I smell Ichiraku's!" Was Naruto's first statement as he hungrily looked into the large bag Yūgao had brought in. "Can I?"

"You're all free to eat." Anko waved regally, though the whole 'royalty' thing was spoilt by the rather amazing speed at which she gobbled down her sweet snack. "After which Yūgao will tell us launch us into session two."

Thirty minutes later, they were all sprawled out on the floor, relaxing after their meal.

"Okay." Yūgao sat up. "Launching into session two starts now."

Upon hearing this, they all groaned (yes, Anko inclusive) a bit as they forced themselves to sit up.

"As Anko has told you, you'll work on obtaining taijutsu stances that feel comfortable to you as well as your chakra control." Yūgao recapped as she pulled out some yellowish pieces of paper from her kunai pouch. "Well, I'm guessing you're wondering how exactly you're going to obtain taijutsu styles without trying everything in the known shinobi world?"

The three genin nodded.

"Anko, if you don't mind?"

Anko nodded and focused on her team. "Orochimaru, for all his sadistic cruelty, was still a genius. And I remember that back when he was my sensei, he had us know our elemental affinity within a week of training. According to him, and I actually believe him considering the positive results we got, a person's elemental affinity goes a long way beyond just being the element they can easily master. It also, in a way, affects their personality and can be used to find a taijutsu style to fit them."

The genin just kept staring at her.

"Think of it this way: if you have a fire affinity then you have a tendency to be wild and unwilling to be tamed. And your taijutsu will lean toward the styles that are fire-based."

"Ah." All three nodded quickly. "Got it."

"Now," Yūgao handed them the paper slips. "Place this on your palm and channel your chakra into your palm."

Without a word they took a slip each and did as they were asked.

Tsubame's was the first to react. Half her paper turned brown then dried out until it turned to dust. The other half turned white and solidified.

Yūgao and Anko glanced at each other but they didn't comment on it.

Next was Naruto's. His paper was slice BH an invisible blade into three parts. The largest part was further shredded by the blade, the middle piece got drenched while the barely thumb sized piece of paper began to crumple.

Again, Anko and Yūgao glanced at each other but said nothing.

Finally, a few seconds later, Kazehana's paper reacted. Half of it disappeared in a flash of flame while the other was crushed into a small ball.

"Interesting..." Anko noted. "You've got all five natures covered between the three of you."

"What do you mean sensei?" Tsubame asked, still looking at the unbendable piece of... paper?... that lay in her palm.

"Well, Kazehana here has two affinities: fire and lightning. How? No idea. Naruto has three: wind, water and a tiny lightning affinity." Anko stayed. "And you have earth and another one. I believe it might be a kekkai genkai of some sort. Not sure though."

"How did we do that?" Naruto asked, pointing at the destroyed pieces of paper.

"Those were chakra papers used to know ones elemental affinity." Yūgao explained. "You didt do any thing. Your chakra entering the seals embedded into the paper did all the work."

"Seals?" Naruto asked doubtfully. Fūinjutsu had turned his life to almost crap. He was very wary of anything with seals on them for now.

"Yeah. Kushina-sensei explained them Yo me once. She said some powerful seals are written into the paper as a whole. It is this seals that created the effects. When chakra is sent into the paper, it is sent through some other seals that match the chakra sample closely. After some other details that I, unfortunately don't remember, the chakra is sent out through a final set of seals that create the final effects you saw."

"Cool..." Naruto murmured. Much as it had fucked up his life fūinjutsu seemed pretty fun... And his mom WAS from the village whose fūinjutsu scared the shit out of three great shinobi villages...

"Now, you guys should get a bunch of scroll to go get familiar with but I forgot them at home so we'll do that tomorrow." Anko added.

Now: reading time!"

—~ ~—

"Aww damn!" Naruto groaned as he plopped onto a couch in the living room. "I swear the regular training was bad. Adding these... resistance bands are hell!"

"You're telling me!" Tsubame huffed. "Im going to bed now."

"Same here!" Kazehana agreed and they dragged their sore bodies into their rooms.

Naruto turned his head to look at the black wristbands he had on.

Yūgao had given a pair of the matte black bands to them and told them to try them on just after the reading period. They had tried them on instantly, thinking that they were just regular bands.

They were disabused of that notion the moment they had tried to walk.

Instead of the old freedom while walking, they now felt like they were being forced to trudge through really thick mud.

According to Yūgao, they were on the first level of their new challenge. The resistance seals were designed to slow them down and so they had to build up enough strength to perform their usual motions at regular speeds again. Of course, Anko explained to them that while there was a slightly easier was of doing it (something about strengthening their limbs with chakra), she told them that they could only explore that method when they had their chakra control up to a certain level.

Focusing back on the bands themselves, Naruto felt awed. As Yūgao had explained when he asked, the bands were another product of fūinjutsu. They had seals engraved into their surface that somehow reacted to the... air resistance?... around the wearer. Depending on the amount of chakra sent into them, the effects would vary from feeling like they were swimming through water to feeling like they were at the bottom of the Hokubu Ocean.

He didn't know what was special about the Hokubu Ocean but as soon as Yūgao had ramped up the chakra into the bands he decided that he didn't want to find out.

"Fūinjutsu..." He murmured softly. His life seemed to be defined by the art. His da... Minato had stuck the Kyūbi into his gut using fūinjutsu. His mom came from a long line of expert fūinjutsu users. His training now entailed fūinjutsu.

"Might as well..." He started before feeling a sudden tug on his mind and he fell asleep...

—~ ~—

Naruto was confused.

Last he remembered, he was contemplating whether or not to study fūinjutsu.

Now, he was knee-deep in murky red water, in what looked like a dark and dank sewer with pipes strewn along the walls.

He could feel the current of the water flowing in a direction, though, and so he decided to follow it.

A while later, he was facing a large gate with something like a piece of paper holding it shut.

"Aww man!" He groaned as he turned to walk away. "What sort of stream flows into a grate?"

Just then, he felt more than heard a distinct growl.

He didn't want to turn back. He really didn't. Yet something in the back of his mind... That instinctual feeling in animals that made them look into the eyes of a predator... Forced him to turn back to the cage.

He was met by two glowing red eyes, one human sized, the other... Let's just say that he never knew that irises could be larger than a full grown human.

"So... My jailer finally sees it fit to answer my summons..." Something growled out from behind the cage.

Naruto very nearly shit his pants as loud footsteps echoed down the hall.

And then... It stood in all its demonic glory before the blond.

"Hello brat."

—~ ~—

And Cut!

Consider this my Christmas gift for y'all!

HAPPY WHATEVER YOU'RE CELEBRATING!

Again:

Please Read & Review.

Please.

The Ethereal Lord.


	9. Chapter 8

So, since this is a New Year Special kinda chapter, I am dedicating this one to Provider of Odd Things, (who, according to my mail, was my very first Follower), to Bernadette Kaulitz, Angel-hime-chan CloudBlack, Akutsu Junya and all those who have been favoriting and following this.

 _ **Thank you All!**_

— _ **~ ~—**_

 _ **Chapter 8**_

"Any idea what's up with Blondie?" Tsubame asked as she walked up the rough bark of the tree again. "He's been acting really weird all week."

"Honestly?" Her redheaded friend replied from where she was seated... Upside down, hanging from a tree branch about twenty feet up... "I don't know. He just started acting really distant from everyone since the time Anko-sensei and Yūgao-sensei upped our training regime."

Glancing over, she watched as Naruto threw himself into his tree-walking training with even more focus than before.

After getting used to their resistance bands, Yūgao had taken them to begin their chakra control...

—~FLASHBACK~—

"Now, to begin the latest exercise in your new training." Yūgao smiled as they sat beneath what they had now dubbed 'HQTree'. "I'll start off by asking what chakra is."

Instantly, Kazehana's hand was up, prompting the purple haired former ANBU's smile to widen ever so slightly. "Kazehana."

"Chakra is the combined energy of the human body. It is composed of two parts: Ki, which is the energy that is directly tied to the physical body; and Reiatsu, which is the energy that is directly tied to the mind, both conscious and subconscious, and the soul."

"Excellent answer." Yūgao nodded. "Now, the Reiatsu can be increased by multiple methods, meditation and increasing one's own knowledge being just two while Ki can be increased by training the physical body."

"So that's why you guys have been to putting us through hell!" Tsubame exclaimed. "By training both our physical bodies and sharpening our minds, you've been gradually increasing our chakra reserves!"

The older kunoichi nodded. "Right now, I'd say you girls have as much chakra as most of the older, more experienced genin in the village. Naruto, due to his lineage and a certain entity, has about as much chakra as Kakashi and Asuma combined. Or, you could say he has as much as three-quarters of the Hokage's chakra capacity right now."

Both girls gasped in shock, hence missing the blond's wince upon mention of his 'luggage'.

"Yeah, I had the same reaction when I sensed his increase." Yūgao stated. "Advantageous as that might be in a real battle, it will be quite the stumbling block in the training sessions on chakra control."

That didn't sound right to Tsubame so she voiced her confusion out. "Wait. How will having a fuck-ton of chakra be a hinderance to learning how to control his chakra?"

Yūgao arched her eyebrow, though not so much to the question as to the questioner. She'd expected that to come from Naruto, not Tsubame. 'Come to think of it, he's been too quiet all day long. Something wrong? His reaction to the resistance bands?'

She didn't know but she would observe a bit longer and if the blond didn't change soon, she'd definitely confront him over it.

For now, though, she had to answer a question.

"Think of it this way, Tsubame, which is easier to dam: a river or a stream?"

"Stream." Was the instant reply.

"Naruto is a tsunami."

It took all of three seconds to understand.

"Oh... Damn." Kazehana groaned for her friend.

"Moaning won't help, Hana-chan." The blond replied quietly yet oddly distantly. "I'll just have to train harder than you guys to get it right.".

"Indeed Naruto. However, Anko and I have an idea that might just help you get it quicker than your chakra reserves should allow." Yūgao said.

"But why is chakra control important?" Tsubame asked.

"Being able to control one's chakra is incredibly useful. To begin with, it help you avoid chakra wastage." Yūgao answered. "Chakra wastage occurs when a shinobi without control over his chakra uses higher ranked jutsu. He or she will pump an excessive amount of chakra into the jutsu. The extra chakra that wasn't required for the jutsu is simply let off as energy, resulting insaid person using up their chakra reserves much faster than normal.

Another reason is to allow the usage of some unique jutsu. Such jutsu might not require much chakra to be used. An example is the Bunshin no jutsu. Virtually every civilian has the capability to create this jutsu if they are taught, showing just how little chakra is needed. However, for shinobi with as high as chūnin level reserves, performing that jutsu can be downright impossible. With a good grip on ones chakra control, however, even Kages can perform the jutsu. This is because it teaches how to direct a precise amount of chakra in any direction necessary." Yūgao explained.

"So, Naruto might actually be able to perform regular bunshin?" Kazehana asked eagerly.

"I can't say." Yūgao replied honestly. "With his reserves continually growing at its exponential rate, he might need up to medic-nin chakra control to be able to perform the bunshin."

The blonde just shrugged. "If its absolutely necessary that I learn the bunshin then I will."

"That's the spirit." Yūgao nodded and motioned for them to do the same. "Now, to start this new training... You guys are going to learn to climb trees."

Cue a round of face-faults.

"No offense, Yūgao-sensei," Tsubame started as the jōnin walked straight to the tree beside HQTree, "but I don't see how learning to climb trees is going to..."

The silver haired girl's voice trailed off as she watched her sensei casually stride up the tree then walk right _under_ a tree branch so that her flowing hair hung upside-down.

"OK. I'm impressed." Kazehana admitted as Yūgao detached herself from the tree and flipped to land elegantly on the grass again.

"The trick is to channel chakra to the soles of your feet to create a suction-like effect that will attach you firmly to the tree's surface."

"But... How?" Naruto asked with a serous look on his face. "How do we get chakra down there?"

"Remember how you channeled chakra to your palm for the affinities test?" Yūgao asked as she pulled out three kunai and tossed them to her genin. They nodded. "Well, try doing the same thing, only directing the chakra to the soles of your feet. Think of creating a small suction as you're doing so. When you've got it down, try walking up the tree and use the kunai to mark your progress."

With swift, determined nods, the three of them began.

—~ ~—

 _ **Thirty Minutes Later...**_

For what had to be the hundredth time that day, Naruto was sent flying back a few meters from his tree, blasted back by the force of his own chakra, to impact solidly on the ground.

His breath rattling and his now bare chest covered in rapidly healing bruises, he pushed himself back up and stormed angrily back to the tree.

Just as he was about to begin, Yūgao called out to him.

With a frustrated sigh, he walked over to her.

"You called, sensei?"

"Sit down, drop the frustration and listen attentively."

Less than three seconds later, her commands had been obeyed.

Well, except for the 'drop the frustration' part but who could blame him?

"Now I know that it might seem a bit discouraging that you haven't been able to go above three feet off the ground but I want you to understand that for someone with borderline Kage-level chakra reserves, that is astounding progress, especially considering that you've accomplished that height in just half an hour of training." Yūgao complimented. "You're doing a great job and don't get yourself bogged in your frustrations. That's the easiest way to hamper your own progress. Instead, channel that frustration into your mind. Use it as fuel to think of a more efficient way of completing an assignment or exercise. Brute force cannot always break through problems."

Releasing a big sigh, the genin nodded. "Thanks for that, Yūgao-sensei. I guess I was forcing myself to try harder instead of 'trying smarter' as Anko-sensei would put it."

"Good. It's always good to acknowledge your faults when they are shown to you. That way you can recognize them as faults and work on them." Yūgao advised. "Now, onto the real reason I called you here: what do you know about the Kage Bunshin no jutsu?"

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Uh... I know that it creates solid copies of one's self and is very good on spy missions and that it is considered a kinjutsu because of the massive amounts of chakra necessary to pull it off without succumbing to chakra exhaustion."

The former ANBU nodded. "That's all very true Naruto, though even chūnin can perform the jutsu within reason. However, why do you think kage bunshin can be sent on stealth missions instead of the original?"

Now he looked positively stumped. "Honestly? I don't know."

"That's where the true power of the kage bunshin comes into play." Yūgao smirked. "When a kage bunshin is dispelled, it sends all accumulated knowledge back to the original."

She stopped there to let it sink into him.

Less than ten seconds later, the blond leapt to his feet happily. "So that's why I kept feeling like I was seeing from multiple angles after I beat Mizuki-teme and after sending the clones at Anko-sensei that day! I was seeing the memories from each clone!"

"Exactly." She smiled.

"Oh man! I could read a library in a day!" He yelled. "I could get multiple books and, in a day, become smarter than Sakura-chan! Hell even smarter than Iruka-sensei and Hokage-jiji!"

"Calm down!" She snapped. "You might be able go do all that but that will be explored later. Right now we need to get your chakra control training started and to do that I need you to make-" she paused to count the number of trees she wanted him to use. "-make twelve clones and send them to the trees around this clearing. Have them start up the tree walking while you watch attentively and try to think of ways to help out. For every clone that dispels, make another until you have one that successfully makes it up the tree. Then, sort through all the memories. Pick up the good stuff and thrash the bad until you're sure you have a good idea of what works. Then, try it out yourself." She finished.

"Um... How do I make twelve clones?" He asked sheepishly. "The last two times I just threw all the chakra I could into the jutsu to make it work."

"This time, try to actively channel your chakra. Control it. At the same time, focus on the number twelve. That should help."

The blond nodded happily and then put his fingers in a cross-fingered seal.

'Twelve clones. Twelve clones. Twelve clones.' He chanted mentally, eyes tightly shut as he prepared to send out the chakra for the jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

When he snapped his eyes open, he was faced with about thirty Narutos.

"Nice start. We'll work from here." Yūgao said. "Now, to dispel them, have them think of returning to you. That should work."

A few seconds later, two of the clones disappeared amidst simultaneous 'pops' and bursts of smoke.

The original, still seated opposite his sensei grinned. "I can dispel them as easily as they can dispel themselves. Two new things we've learnt."

They all grinned before twelve took off toward the closest trees. The remaining sat by the original and watched earnestly...

—~FLASHBACK ENDS~—

That had been the start of the blond's breakthrough. Within an hour of creating the first set of clones, one of them had made it up to the top.

Uopn dispelling that clone, Naruto had paused to sift through the information from about a hundred clones (most of the early ones had his luck and got blasted off their tree into others, prompting an instant dispel). He then grinned, stood up and pointed to the two girls who were hanging off branches like their sensei had done before. "Watch me." was all he said before he proceeded to casually walk straight up the tree and then right back down.

After his show, he had explained what he got from the memories. He had come to understand that the tree walking exercise was for two purposes. The first was to master channeling chakra to the soles of the feet, something that they had all agreed was a bitch to do in the first place. The second, though, was to master being attached to a surface while battling external forces. While Kazehana had deduced as much, hearing it from him had definitely sealed it.

The goal was to learn how to use chakra to anchor one's self to a vertical surface while fighting off the external influence of gravity on the body.

Yūgao had been so shocked after hearing his explanation that she momentarily forgot to explain the next part of the training to them.

When she finally got out of her shock she told them that the exercise was only truly mastered when one could be hurled from a spot and instinctively stick to any vertical surface and battle for an hour while attached to the vertical surface.

Right now, they all had the 'instinctively attach yourself' part down to a tee. However, the girls had to bring their reserves to the point that they could run up and down the tree for an hour non-stop while Naruto had begun the 'battle for an hour' part, taking the period to also get in his new water based 'Tai Chi' taijutsu practice as he battled against one of his clones.

"KAZEHANA!" A yell snapped her out of her reverie.

She turned to see Tsubame, face flushed, glaring at her from her tree. "What?"

"You're asking me?" Came the snappish reply. "I was talking to you and you just zoned out on me! What the hell was that?"

"Sorry." The redhead had the decency to look sheepish. "Got lost in thought."

"Anything to do with him?" Tsubame's flickered over to Naruto then settled back on her friend's.

"Yeah... I couldn't get why he's being distant though." Kazehana sighed. "He just locked himself away starting from a week ago."

Tsubame stopped her laps up and down the tree to glare at her blond friend. Her normally soft, almost cloudy, gray eyes flashed with steel-like determination. "Then we're going to make him tell us."

—~ ~—

"What the hell!" Naruto yelled as he ducked beneath a crescent kick from his opponent. "You're supposed to help me train! Take my head off!"

Opposite him stood... Himself.

Well, a clone of himself.

"Oh I'm sorry boss." It replied mockingly. "I thought it was my job to help you get more practical knowledge on our new fighting style."

"Yeah it was." The original growled. "Until you tried to kick me in the fucking head!"

The clone just shrugged. "The style is based on flowing around attacks and striking from angles that would be difficult to dodge. Y'know, kinda like water would flow around obstacles and wear them down by eroding their weak spots."

"Thanks for that joyous reminder." The original snapped before turning to another clone that was seated higher up in th tree. "Time?"

"Thirty-two minutes and forty-six seconds!" It yelled back happily. "Our new best time!"

"We still have to work on it." Naruto replied tersely. "Anko-sensei sensei said that we need to get it down so that we can do this in our sleep. Getting distracted during the fight is something we need to work on shutting out."

Turning to another clone, this time on another tree, he yelled out: "Dispel! We need to know how well we're progressing in the style!"

Immediately, a series of pops sounded, accompanied by puffs of smoke from different places around the tree the original was on.

Gritting his teeth, the original sorted through the memories of his clones. Due to the multiple angles of view, it took about thirty seconds to clear his head.

"OK. We have the katas down pat but the flow from one kata to the other is still a bit disjointed, especially when we try to jump around from kata to kata randomly." He stated as the memories settled in. "We also need to complete this kata stage of practice because, according to one of us, we need to get so used to the Style that we can throw in our own moves to counter anyone who might have even a base understanding of our style."

"We also need to work on assimilation speed of our memories when we dispel!" The clone with the timer yelled. "Thirty seconds is way too much time. We could get killed in that amount of time in a real battle if what Anko-sensei says is true."

The original nodded as did his sparring clone. "When we get home, I'll try to remember to create a couple of you guys and have them read some stuff and then dispel. We'll use that as 'assimilation' practice."

"Start small." The spar-clone advised. "Master assimilating one clone's memories instantly and then move on to two and so on."

"Got it." Naruto nodded as he brought his hands together to form his unique seal. "Let's go aga-"

"Blondie!" Tsubame shouted from below. "Get your ass down here! We need to talk!"

Immediately he tensed and began to run through a mental list of things he could say to get her off him.

"Boss." The sparring clone called out and fixed a serious look on his original. "I think you should tell them."

"Wonderful idea! Why didn't I think of that first?" Naruto shot back, sarcasm oozing from every word. "Oh wait, I did. And I'd rather have them as friends than chase them away-"

"They've been with us since we were six." The clone cut in plainly. "They've stated with us through all of the shit we've gone through, including having their apartment thrashed, getting spat on whenever some drunken idiot saw all three of us on the road and being looked upon with hate just because they've chosen to remain friends with us. Hell they stayed after hearing what we have stuck in our gut. They didn't even care about that. Keeping this away from them is being very unfair to them."

"What if they leave after I tell them?"

"Tell us what?" Tsubame asked, causing Naruto nearly leap off the tree.

By the time he turned to glare at his clone, he was hit by the smug memories of both his sparring partner and the timer.

'Conspiring bastards.' He thought to himself as he turned to find himself facing his best friends. "Hey Tsu-chan, Hana-chan! What's up?"

"Drop it." Kazehana replied instantly. "We've been with you since you were six. Don't you think we wouldn't notice you pulling on a mask from ten yards away?"

Naruto sighed tiredly and began to walk down the tree, prompting Tsubame to reach out and grab his shoulder as he walked by. "The hell do you think you're going?"

"You wanna know what's wrong with me right?" He asked, to which they nodded. "Well, let's get comfortable. It's a bit of a long story."

After the walk to the base of the tree, they took their seats, both girls seated opposite him, looking on eagerly.

"Last week, after we got home from recieving the resistance bands... I spoke with the Kyūbi..."

—~FLASHBACK~—

Aww man!" He groaned as he turned to walk away. "What sort of stream flows into a grate?"

Just then, he felt more than heard a distinct growl.

He didn't want to turn back. He really didn't. Yet something in the back of his mind... That instinctual feeling in animals that made them look into the eyes of a predator... Forced him to turn back to the cage.

He was met by two glowing red eyes, one human sized, the other... Let's just say that he never knew that irises could be larger than a full grown human.

"So... My jailer finally sees it fit to answer my summons..." Something growled out from behind the cage.

Naruto very nearly shit his pants as loud footsteps echoed down the hall.

And then... It stood in all its demonic glory before the blond.

"Hello brat."

Immediately, the blond started backpedaling. "This is a dream. This is a dream. This has GOT to be a dream."

A laugh rang through the sewers. "You might want to pinch yourself then. Though I can assure you that such a simple method of shock won't be enough to pull you out of here."

Fuck the fact that the idea came from... something... He closed his eyes and tried it anyway.

When he opened his eyes... Yeah, his nightmare was definitely right.

"Who the hell are you?!" He yelled. "And where the hell am I?"

"From last to first: you are in your mind. As to who I am... Figure it out."

With his brain being fueled by an insane amount of adrenaline, it didn't take ten seconds for him to figure it out.

"You're the Kyūbi!"

"Give the brat a prize! He finally got it!" Came the response.

Finally, the feared bijū, the nine tailed demon fox, stepped into the light...

And froze the twelve year old's thought processes.

The first thing that happened was that the larger pair of eyes dissipated into a red haze. Then, out of this haze stepped a woman.

She was about as tall as Anko, with crimson hair and scarlet eyes and she wore a simple kimono.

"What the- How the- You're a girl?" Naruto sputtered in shock.

"Do not compare me to a female of your species." The woman replied instantly. "I simply chose this form as it would be the best to relate you without having you run about like a fool."

The next second, her form dissipated and reformed into that of the large-as-fuck demon fox that had nearly wiped out Konoha twelve years ago. "Or would you rather we speak this way?" Its now androgynous voice boomed out.

"No! I mean previous form please!" Naruto babbled.

The bijū's form dissipated and reformed into the female once again. "Now. We need to speak."

"Wait what?" Naruto did a double take. "You're the reason my life went to shits as a kid because you just HAD to live up to your reputation as a demon and go ballistic on Konoha! If it wasn't for your insane acts-"

"You wouldn't know those two girls you happen to be with so stop winning like a damned bitch." The transformed bijū snarled. "You think it's been difficult for you?"

"Hell yeah I do! Got something to top years of being treated like thrash? Years of being beaten, bruised and spat on, years of being looked down on like I was a nobody for something I never had any control over!"

"That's it?" The Kyūbi scoffed. "Boy, I was YOKED into servitude! Me! The Lord of all Bijū! Yoked into serving some bastard, acting like I was nothing but an animal! Then I was finally released from my bondage only to be tossed into another! Sealed into some no-name witch! I have lived about a century of my existence locked away in humans! I finally was released a while back only to be once again thrown into damnable bondage by the bastard that held me the first time! When I was somehow released from THAT bondage I never had a chance to even gather my senses before being bombarded by a host of you puny humans! I was brought down by a toad! A fucking toad that stabbed me with its weapon all before I was sealed into you. So don't yell at me about suffering boy! I know damn well what it is and you have had it easy!"

"You expect me to believe that bullshit?" Naruto roared at the bijū who had, sometime during its rant, returned to its primal form. "You expect me to believe that the reason you're stuck inside of me is that you were controlled by someone? Well then I wonder who gave you the title of 'Lord of the Bijū' because I don't think any other bijū would be controlled by a 'puny' human!"

A loud explosive sound rang through the sewer.

It turned out to be the sound of the bijū's paw slamming into the gates of its cage. "I swear if this thing wasn't here I would have eaten you and been done with you! You have the gall to think that I would bother myself lying to you? What would it profit me? Your pity? Your sympathy? Well take them to your grave! There are forces out there that even bijū must succumb to and just as your human law of gravity affects even the most powerful of you so must I succumb to such powers! You think I want to ravage and pillage your villages? To what end? Supposing I needed food you really believe that a thousand of your kind would satisfy me? Or if I needed a source of entertainment do you think your foolish ramblings and encounters will entertain me?"

"I dunno being the entity of hatred and rage though I would think that you'd just hunt us to satisfy your sadistic tendencies."

"If I wanted to display 'sadistic tendencies' then the Elemental Nations would be nothing but ash! Or have you forgotten that I have the power to level mountains with a flick of any one of my tails? I have been around MUCH longer than the existence of your villages!" The Kyūbi roared back.

Naruto was about to yell some more at the bijū when something it said clicked.

If it really had been around longer than the shinobi villages then why hadn't other places experienced its wrath? Could it really be that humans had been too biased to actually consider the side of the bijū?

As he sank deeper into thought, something the old Hokage said to him a few days back resurfaced in his mind...

 _We are humans, Naruto-kun, and humans have a tendency to fear what they don't understand. They don't understand fūinjutsu and so they believe that the Kyūbi's soul must have taken yours over._

Humans had never understood bijū and do they were afraid of the power that the creatures had...

"Kyūbi!" He shouted uncertainly. "I'm sorry."

The large fox paused in its rant to look over the boy suspiciously as it altered its form to that of the woman that it had first taken. "Sorry? What for?"

Naduto could hear the sarcastic scoff in the bijū's tone but he chose to shrug it off. "I'm sorry for behaving like an ass."

"Really? Come now, what lead to this sudden change in reasoning?"

"Basically, you tried to be civil with me, going as far as to take a form I am familiar with just to ease my fears yet I acted like the beast we believe _you_ to be. That was wrong."

The Kyūbi was almost impressed with the boy. He had gotten over his rage and he admitted to his own faults. With a sigh, the bijū in human form decided to acquiesce to its own faults. It had been through two hosts who barely ever allowed it to see the world. If it was going to be cooped up in this boy's head then it damned well wanted to enjoy itself here.

"I too acted rashly." The bijū spoke in a soft yet commandingly regal tone. It had acknowledged it's own fault but it damned well wouldn't give the boy room to think too much on that. "I should not have demeaned the pain you have gone through for my sake either."

Both stood, awkwardly facing each other until Naruto broke the silence. "Uh... So, is this a truce or something?"

"A deal." The Kyūbi said instantly. Now it could get what it wanted. "I am willing to offer you a fraction of my power in exchange for you allowing me to, through you, feel the outside world."

Naruto was stunned. The Kyūbi was offering him some of its power in exchange for the ability to feel through him...

Simple right?

Yet, somewhere deep in his heart, he felt afraid. People feared him because they believe that he was the bijū. Wouldn't allowing it access to his senses while accepting its power bring him ever closer to becoming what the villagers thought of him?

"Wh-what are the effects of having your more of your power?"

The bijū in question would have grinned if it wasn't unsure of the boy's reaction. As such it simply maintained its regal look. "You will become stronger, faster and your chakra reserves will grow larger. Your already heightened senses will become even sharper and your rapid healing will become faster."

"I meant negative effects!" Naruto snapped back. Upon noticing the almost amused smirk on the human-looking bijū, he reined in his fear-fueled anger and tried again. "Forgive me for that. I meant what are the negative effects of having more of your power flowing through me?"

"And what makes you believe that my power would have negative repercussions?"

"Ji- I was told by someone that survived your attack on Konoha that mere contact with your chakra caused intense chakra burns on the skin and then lead to some of the most horrible cases of chakra poisoning." Naruto replied. OK, maybe he had exaggerated a little. It wasn't like the bijū would know.

"And so you believe that my attempts to enhance your abilities with my powered is a subtle way of killing you to release myself?" The Kyūbi asked with an arched eyebrow. "Rest assurer, due to the seal placed upon you to keep me in this bondage, my chakra cannot hurt you. If it could, you would have died within the first six months of my being placed into you as that was the period that your chakra was weak and susceptible to any damage my chakra would have done to you. You're alive are you not? And the chakra burns... You think your really tough skin is what saved you from them when my chakra healed you countless times from your physical injuries? No, this seal ensures that my chakra cannot do any lasting harm to you."

"What do you mean by 'lasting harm'? And what effects will the chakra have on people around me?"

"Last to first: none provided you don't force it out. If you do, all bets are off. As to the first; chakra coils should not grow at the rate yours grows at. My chakra being passed through your system forcibly widens your coils fractionally every day yet these fractional increases can gradually harm you. Luckily for you, the same chakra that does such damage heals the damage almost instantly."

Naruto was stumped now. He couldn't see any disadvantages to this other than if he 'forced it out' which he had no idea how to do in the first place so that didn't seem to be much of a problem in the first place.

But still...

"I know how much you wish to think over this." The bijū said softly. It couldn't force the boy to accept, not at this point. No, now it had to resort to subtlety and cunning to obtain what it wanted. "As such I am willing to give you a 'demonstration' if you will."

"A demonstration?" Naruto asked skeptically.

"Yes." It said decisively, as much to convince the boy as to convince itself of its hastily thrown together plan. "For a week, I will allow some of my power to seep into your coils. It might be painful for up to six hours but that will be due to your coils expanding a bit faster than what is normal for you. During this time you will experience the power boost and its effects allowing you to make a decision."

"And if I don't?"

"I withdraw my chakra from you. It will be painful but necessary as to stay within terms of this agreement."

"And if I accept?"

"You will be summoned here again and we will finalize the agreement." The Kyūbi stated simply.

After minutes of deliberation that had the bijū on edge, the blond finally sighed. "I'll take the week long trial for now."

—~FLASHBACK ENDS~—

"So you're saying that the bijū you had sealed into you wants to make a deal?" Kazehana asked in shock.

Naruto nodded.

"And this deal will allow it to basically 'experience' the world around you through you in exchange for it giving you some of its power?" Tsubame added.

Again, the blond nodded.

"And you are currently on the last day of the trial deal?" Kazehana again.

"Yeah. And I don't know whether to accept or not." Naruto sighed tiredly. "Im sorry I didn't tell you straight up but I was confused. I mean, making a deal with the bijū that nearly eradicated my home?"

"The deal will make you stronger though..." Tsubame reminded him. "The Kyūbi also voluntarily told you what the negative effects were."

"How am I supposed to believe what it said?" Naruto groaned. "I don't know whether to trust us or not."

"How's about we take this to Hokage-jiji?" Kazehana suggested. "He might have an insight into this that will help."

Tsubame slung her arm around the redhead's shoulder and pressed her cheeks into hers. "And that's why she's the brains of our team. Now come on! We need to get going before Anko-sensei and Yūgao-sensei get back from their training!"

Witb that, they jumped to their feet and dashed out of the old Uzumaki training field.

About a minute after they left, both of their purple haired jōnin-sensei walked out from behind a small copse.

"Yet again I feel pained that our little genin forget how highly ranked we are." Anko said as she pulled out a stick of dango from a purse within her trenchcoat. "Do they think we aren't always watching over them?"

"That's beside the point." Yūgao stated as she reached over and popped one of the sweet dumplings off her partner's stick, much to Anko's chagrin. "I'm just glad that he finally opened up to them. I was afraid of what you said you'd do if he didn't."

Anko just shrugged as she bit off one of the dumplings. "Meh, little torture would do him some good."

"Still good of him. Anyway, how close are you to hitting Hokage-sama's stipulations?"

"He said we should get ourselves up to mid A-ranked right? Well, I should be at high B right now. All I need is to start accepting missions."

"Same here." Yūgao agreed. "We should tell Hokage-sama today."

Anko shook her head. "We need to get the brats up to speed on how to battle other shinobi. They might be better than most rookies already but we need to get them up to chūnin level by the time the exams roll around. I'd say we should push them through the next half, maybe one month. The focus would now be on battle smarts. Thinks to do and not do in a fight, how to strategize on the fly, shit like that."

"And bukijutsu." Yūgao added. "I think they'll need to get their weapon usage down and get familiar with a weapon that they will enjoy using."

"You're just looking for a new 'Kenjutsu Mistress of Konoha'." Anko shot back playfully.

"And if I am?" Yūgao asked. "Can I have a dango?"

"Oh hell no! You took the last one without permission!"

"Which means I'm trying to be civil to you now." Yūgao shrugged. "I could take it again without asking."

"Just try... WAIT! DAMN IT YŪGAO I WAS FUCKING JOKING!"

—~ ~—

"So you're saying that I should take the deal?"

Hiruzen nodded. It was a hard decision to make, even for him, but as he had told Naruto, a Hokage sometimes had to think of the Village he lead over his individual shinobi.

Right note he was shooting blind but he hoped to the heavens that the Kyūbi was being serious. "You should. It would make you stronger which will make you more able to protect your loved ones."

Naruto glanced around the room. All the faces around him; Rangiku Tsubame, Kazehana and the old Hokage were at peace with this decision, it seemed.

"Alright." Naruto nodded firmly. "I will speak to the Kyūbi today, I think, and tell it that I accept."

"Good." The old Hokage smiled as the boy and his friends turned to leave. "And Naruto-kun?"

"Yes jii-san?"

"Don't hold things like this inside next time. We are a family. Family share stuff with each other."

The blind boy froze in his tracks for a minute before sprinting back to wrap the old man in a hug.

After half a minute, he left with his friends.

"Was that the right thing to do, Hokage-sama?" Rangiku asked with a small frown. "Making a deal with a bijū doesn't sound like a very good idea."

"I agree with you, Rangiku, but sometimes one has to take risks..."

—~ ~—

And cut.

Happy New Year everyone !

A big shout out to all my reviewers, Favorite-ERS and Followers!

I love you all!

As a new years gift to me, can I get at LEAST TEN REVIEWS? Please?

I swear I feel like I'm writing for myself sometimes...

Anyway, its still moi,

The Ethereal Lord.


	10. Chapter 09

_**Chapter 9**_

 _ **Two Months Later...**_

"This is Sealed Kunai 618 reporting in: target spotted."

"WinterComa reporting in: target spotted."

"AlphaDelta1001 reporting in: target spotted."

"This is Morgman: we are three for three. Shall we begin?"

"Neko here: begin."

Less than a second after the command was given, a brown blur streaked out of its perch beneath some shrubs, hotly pursued by a black and orange blur.

"Sealed Kunai here: herding him toward the Cold."

"Got it Kunai. Standing by."

The next few seconds were a hectic mess for the people in Konoha's market district as the aforementioned blurs kept right on speeding through, ducking, leaping and twisting around every obstacle they were faced with.

Suddenly, the brown blur made a spontaneous, ninety degree turn, rushing away from its new hunter.

"WinterComa here: Kunai has been relieved of duty. Now herding him toward the Delta."

The chase continued, only difference being that the black and orange blur had been replaced by a black and blue one.

Making yet another hair pin turn, the brown blur headed into an alley it was familiar with. The end of the alley was a chain link fence that separated that point from another street. Through experience, the brown one one that making it over that fence would give it enough respite for it to hide again.

With its plan ready, the brown blur angled its run toward a wall and then jumped onto it, latching onto it for a split second before bouncing off, body perfectly aligned to make the jump.

It never noticed the glint of light until the senbon was pierced deep into its paw.

"WinterComa here: its all up to Delta."

"Delta here: the bastard's fallen. Repeat; the bastard has fallen."

"Confirmed. Neko and I are on our way. Standby for our arrival."

Just then, the black and orange blur landed beside its blue counterpart. "I heard the news. Nice work."

Blue just shrugged. "If you hadn't corralled it to my zone I wouldn't have been able to play my part."

"You both played your parts well." A new figure said simply. "As did I."

The new figure, now standing opposite the first two had a sack slung over its shoulder. "And they said this would be difficult."

"We did, didn't we?" Anko asked as she joined them, Yūgao by their side. "How'd you guys complete this so quickly?"

"And on your first try, to boot.?" Yūgao added.

The black and orange blur just smiled. "I love Kage bunshin so much. You know those times I sent out my transformed clones to do a shitload of those chores- excuse me, _missions,_ while we trained?"

The two jōnin nodded.

"Well, they noticed one thing: the mission to catch Tora was, without a doubt, the most failed D-ranked mission. At least three genin teams failed it every week."

"So, two weeks ago, when Naruto told us about it, we decided to understand why." Kazehana, the black and blue blur continued. "While he had a team of clones doing missions, he set another three teams to watch Tora closely. They noted every single move he made, including his patters of movement during each genin chase."

"Then," Tsubame picked up from Kazehana's pause as she shifted the sack on her shoulders a bit. "It was easy for us to plan exactly what we wanted to do. Easy as pie."

"So, basically, you guys cheated?" Anko asked with a serious look.

"We're shinobi." Naruto deadpanned. "We're _supposed_ to cheat."

Upon hearing his reply, Anko brightened up. "Well then, let's head over to the Tower."

—~ ~—

"Anko Mitarashi here with genin team nine."

"Hello Anko-san." A chūnin greeted from behind her desk. "Welcome back to the Missions Desk. I'm guessing that Tora's still on the run?"

"Nope!" Anko grinned happily. "Bring him over!"

From their place along the wall behind Anko, Tsubame walked over and handed Tora over to her sensei.

The chūnin was shocked as she watched the normally ferocious cat simply snuggle closer to Anko to enjoy its sleep. "Your team's the first in the last four years to catch that damned cat on their first try! Even my team had to try four times and we had the rookie of our year on our side."

"We're just that badass." Anko replied like it was no big deal. "She in?"

"Yeah. Go right in."

Upon hearing that, Anko and her team walked into the Hokage's office.

Inside, the man seated behind his table, was focused on the usual stack of papers on his desk. Beside him stood Rangiku who threw a quick wink at the team as they walked in and, pacing around the room, was a tearful mess of a woman.

A pretty large woman. Or should that be rounded?

"Hokage-sama, Team Nine reporting in." Anko stated. "Tora has been found."

If they hadn't been drilled, and often painfully, by Yūgao on how to act in formal situations, the three genin would have had varying displays of shock.

"TORA!" The woman bellowed as her tears instantly dried up and she ran over to Anko. Faster than one would expect from such a large woman, she grabbed the peacefully sleeping cat and crushed it to her face in what she must have thought of as a hug.

Hiruzen, who had looked up as soon as Anko had begun to speak, now spoke up over the woman's continued abuse of the cat while Rangiku subtly steered her out of the office. "Well done Anko. And a very big congratulations to you on sucessfully completing the mission, team nine."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." The replied as one.

"How did they do it?" Rangiku asked as she walked back into the office. "First try success? Tora must have been lenient today."

"You can speak freely guys." Anko nodded at her genin and they promptly dropped the formal poise.

"Hey Jii-san, Rangiku-san!" Naruto greeted happily. "And no, Tora was his typical bitchy self. We just planned ahead of the bastard."

"We set a trap for it after allowing it to dictate the pace of our chase." Tsubame added. "It got so comfortable that it never noticed the small pin sticking out of the ground where it landed. We made sure the damned thing injected enough anaesthetic to drop a full grown adult in seconds."

"No wonder it was asleep when you brought it in." Rangiku replied with an amused look on her face.

"Well, now that they've completed the stipulated thirty D-ranks plus the infamous Hellcat mission, can they get a C-rank now?" Anko asked.

"Do you think they're up to it?" Hiruzen asked.

"Honestly? I am very sure they are up to it." Anko answered. "They have more than enough training. Now they need the experience."

Hiruzen, having heard the purple haired woman's declaration, thought over it.

He knew that they were definitely well trained. His daily checkups on them via the Crystal Orb made that clear. Their progression in their taijutsu was very impressive as was their chakra control and while they had just begun advancing in their elemental ninjutsu, they were now very proficient at the three 'Academy' jutsu.

The real question was how they would fare in the field itself.

Well, one way to know.

"They do." Hiruzen decided. "And its time they get that experience. With all of the internal C-ranks all given out for today, you will have to take up something leading out of the village. Can you cope?"

"Undoubtedly." Anko replied.

"Well then, a ninja from Takigakure no Sato who just completed a mission here requires escort back to his home. Collect the mission scroll from Maki-san at the Missions desk and then return here to meet your client."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

—~ ~—

"This is Shibuki of Takigakure." Hiruzen gestured toward the average looking guy standing by his desk.

And by average, I mean it.

Brown hair, black eyes, Taki hitai-ate around his forehead, green shirt, hints of bandages around his upper arms and grey shinobi pants.

Average to the hilt.

Of course, training and simple manners stopped any of the genin to comment on the fact.

"Your mission," Hiruzen continued, "will be to escort Shibuki back to Takigakure. Understood?"

"Understood." They replied instantly.

Nodding slightly at their etiquette, the Hokage turned to face the Taki nin. "Do you have a specific time you wish to leave, Shibuki-san?"

"Not particularly Hokage-sama. However, leaving within two hours will be alright if it's alright with my escorts."

"Mitarashi-san?" Hiruzen turned back to Anko who nodded once.

"The time is alright Hokage-sama. Shibuki-san, we will meet you at the Gates in two hours."

"Understood. Thank you." Shibuki replied. "I will be taking my leave to prepare myself for the trip, Hokage-sama."

"Understood." Hiruzen replied and Shibuki left. "Anko, please stay. Team nine, you are free to prepare yourselves for your upcoming mission."

"Understood Hokage-sama."

As soon as they left, the old man called out: "Yūgao."

He hasn't finished pronouncing her name before she appeared beside Anko amidst a small swirl of leaves.

"Now that you're both here, I want to ask again: are you sure that they are prepared for this?"

"Without a doubt." Both stated instantly.

"How far have they come?"

"They have all mastered the tree walking exercise and I can proudly say that they can attach themselves to any vertical surface short of extremely slippery walls. They also have the water walking down to as far as running on water without too much trouble. They might get a little wet if suddenly dropped in but they will be able to adjust almost instantly." Anko stated.

"Tsubame, on the other hand seems fully geared toward becoming extremely proficient at taijutsu." Yūgao continued. "She has already gotten down the Hung Ga kung fu basics to go with her element and has taken to the Kaguya's taijutsu style like fish to water. She also has the _Shigan_ down as far as to shoot out up to five consecutive rounds while in motion and up to twenty when standing still."

"And Naruto?"

"Naruto has advanced farthest of all." Anko replied. "Since he learnt of the kage bunshin's memory accumulation effect, he has used it to take his Tai Chi and Baguazhang to advanced levels. He's just a few pegs short of becoming an expert. In fact, I believe the only reason he hasn't gotten it to that level is because he has been experimenting on merging both styles to create something new."

"Interesting..." Hiruzen hummed. "And in other areas?"

"He is progressing extremely well." Yūgao confirmed. "He is already on the fourth level of the resistance seals. They've also learnt how to create storage seals and how to use them."

'They are progressing much faster than even I expected.' The Hokage thought to himself. "That's very good. How about other aspects?"

"Kazehana has the greatest degree of chakra control and I can easily see her becoming Konoha's next genjutsu mistress. She already has three in her arsenal. Apart from that she has been able to learn a few Katon jutsu and she has the best aim with shuriken. She's also the intellect of the team."

"On the other hand, Tsubame is the strategist and has proven herself to be able to come up with pretty good ideas to put the team at an advantage in a fight or just to negate an opponents advantage and level the playing field." Yūgao continued. "Her time learning the _Shigan_ has prevented her from learning too many Doton ninjutsu so she only has two and one genjutsu. Her accuracy is only a few paces behind Kazehana's."

"Naruto's genjutsu is currently nonexistent, unfortunately." Anko stated. "While I speculate that he might be able to learn some of the higher classed genjutsu, anything below a B-ranked one might be out of his reach forever. On the ninjutsu front, however, he has surpassed the girls. He has one Fūton jutsu and about three Suiton jutsu down. He's also one of the most instinctive thinkers I've ever seen. He can pull plans right in the midst of things and while fighting, his reflexes are sharper than most chūnin, allowing him to snap out attacks from some of the most absurd angles."

"Shouldn't you try to slow Naruto-kun's progression a little?" The old man asked. "Too much progress from one side could lead to imbalance within the team."

"We already spoke to them about it." Anko answered. "As far as they are concerned, him having a bijū already threw him far ahead. To them, training with him and watching him grow is more incentive for them to grow as well."

"Well then... If they have no problems with that, then how about the two of you?"

"I believe that we are ready." Anko stated firmly.

"Good. Anko, you will lead the team on this mission solo as I have two other missions for Yūgao."

—~ ~—

"So, I have my tent, clothes and hygiene materials in one scroll, some food supplies, six canteens of water and the stuff we'll use to cook in another and a third containing some of the jutsu I want to practice along the way." Naruto called out from the living room. "You guys should be out by now!"

"Go screw a banshee Blondie!" Tsubame shot back from her shared room with Kazehana. "Not all of us can make solid copies of ourselves ya know!"

"Tsubame quit bitching about his clones." Kazehana said to her roommate. "I'm almost done while you're still looking for your undies. Kami, you are so disorganized it isn't even funny watching you waddle about."

"Hey!" Tsubame snapped indignantly. "I'll have you know that I am very organized."

"Yeah... Organized as Sasuke's fan girl's going full riot!" Naruto shot with a snicker.

"Not a word out of you 'Mister Sakura-chan'." Kazehana fired back as she played catch with one of her own scrolls. "I still don't know why you were so stuck up on her."

Naruto had the decency to look sheepish. "I guess so. Besides, Hinata-chan's way cooler once you get through her weird stuttering."

"She isn't half bad at fighting either." Tsubame added from the room. "The few times she's had to fight, she's actually pretty damned skilled at the Jyūken."

"She needs to get her confidence up." Naruto stated flatly.

"Yeah, that and she needs to learn that being a ninja involves hurting people." Kazehana sighed. "I mean, not force-choking a branch member into doing her will is all cool and all but she needs to know that, out there, its eat or be eaten."

"Or, as Anko-sensei would say," Tsubame said as she walked out of her room, "its eat or get captured, grilled by an expert until you ooze juices and then be eaten."

"I just hope she takes Naruto's advice and finds someone who will help her." Kazehana yawned. "Man, catching Tora immediately after completing our morning training is tiring."

"Look on the bright side: we've got about an hour and a half to rest until we need to be at the gates." Tsubame pointed out.

"True..."

"Oi brats!" Anko called out from down the hall. "Get your asses out here! We need to get weapons for ya."

"Shoulda expected that." Naruto sighed.

—~ ~—

"Yo Kisuke-san! Matsu-san!" Anko yelled out as she led her genin into the Twin Rising Dragons Weapons Store. "You got customers waiting!"

"Well, if it isn't Konoha's Hebi-hime!" A man yelled out from somewhere behind the shop. "Hold on, I'll be out in a bit. Tenten's working with Matsu round back."

"We'll check out the goods while we wait then!" The purple haired jōnin yelled back before turning to her genin. "Get what ever you want. As your sensei though, I'd say you should hit up on some shuriken, kunai and explosive tags, maybe two dozens of each."

"Got it sensei." They nodded and spread out to scan the goods.

Walking about a bit, Anko stopped her pacing in the center of the room, arms akimbo. Watching her continually growing genin shop for their own weapons brought back memories.

The Twin Rising Dragons had been in Konoha since she had been a genin. Hell, Orochimaru, bastard that he was, had brought her in to get her stuff for her first C-rank just like she was doing to the kids now. The shop hadn't changed much in that time.

They still had the regular throwing weapons on the wall opposite the door, the bladed weapons by adjacent to that and the more unique weapons and other accessories were arrayed right by the door leaving the counter opposite the bladed weapons. Of course, they had a section behind the throwing weapons for shinobi clothing and novelty weapons and a big ass forge behind the counter that Kisuke himself manned (with a crazily small looking fan that she never understood how it was of any use to him) and a really large field for things like accuracy tests and simple practice settings for some of the other weapons.

"Sensei? We're done." Tsubame called out from the counter where Kisuke, who had made his entrance sometime during her musing thoughts, watched her with an amused smile.

"Aw..." He grinned, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Was my little Anko-chan reminiscing about good times?"

"Yeah. So what if I was?" Anko replied with arched eyebrows.

"Is that Anko's voice I hear?" A woman called out. From the sound of things, she was walking toward the main shop.

"Hell yeah Matsu-san!" Anko shouted back. "Where's Bunbun-chan?"

"You wanna get pointy things lodged up your ass that badly?" Kisuke laughed as he pulled out a katana from somewhere behind the counter. "She doesn't have better aim than most chūnin in Konoha for nothing you know?"

"Hmm... I seem to have forgotten to tell you that I'm a jōnin now." Anko said with an amused grin as her right hand rose up to deftly snatch a flying kunai aimed at her cheek. "There's a skill difference between the two you know?"

"I swear, Anko-san, it's like it keeps getting harder to hit you!" A young girl groaned as she walked into the main shop, followed by the other woman. She had a pretty face with her hair done up in buns on both sides of her head and she wore a pink Chinese blouse over dark pants.

The woman behind her was clearly a relative and could even be the younger girl's mom. Same hairstyle (though the older had black hair as opposed to the younger's brown), same eye color hell, the younger girl would definitely grow to share the same body type as the older woman.

"Don't worry lil' sis." The older woman said. "I'll teach you something that's bound to help."

"Matsu-san!" Anko held her cheeks in mock horror. "You're not going to teach her the infamous 'Matsu no mai' are you?!"

Instantly, the younger girl's eyes gleamed in almost sadistic joy. "There's a move she's afraid of? Nee-chan I need it! Teach me!"

"Absolutely not!" Matsu snapped harshly. Seeing the dejected look on her face though, she relented. "The reason I can't reach you the 'Matsu no mai' is because..."

Matsu trailed off at this point, leading each of the young ones to listen attentively, straining to hear the powerful and possibly painful reason such a powerful technique couldn't be taught.

"There is no move like that."

Cue a round of face-plants from the genin and a round of laughter from the adults.

"I swear aunty," Tenten mumbled as she picked herself off the ground. "It's like you do these things to me on purpose. I thought Anko-san was the common enemy here."

"She was." Matsu nodded as the occasional giggle still slipped from her lips. "However I couldn't pass up such a chance."

"That should teach you not to mess with me Bun-chan." Anko shot at the young girl who just glared at the jōnin.

"Hey! I remember you!" Kazehana pointed at Tenten with a grin. "You we're in the graduating set before mine!"

"Huh?" Tenten paused as her memory tried to jog itself into remembering... "Oi! Hana-chan! Tsu-chan! What the hell? I couldn't remember you with those new threads on! Awesome clothes by the way!"

"Why do I feel terribly left out?" Naruto murmured softly as the girls began to chatter animatedly while the adults spoke that weird language that shall only be known as 'grown-up'.

Having nothing to do at the moment, the blond decided to simply take note of his surroundings and proceeded to take in everything the shop had to offer.

It was while his eyes scanned the special weapons stack that he saw it. Or rather, them.

Moving in an almost zombie-like trance, he walled over to the shelf and picked them almost lovingly.

Two short staves of about two and a half feet in length and maybe an inch thick. Colored an almost light absorbing black, they rested lightly in his hands and Naruto would swear later on that the weapons grew warm at his touch.

"You like?" Kisuke asked with an amused look on his face. Sometime during the blond's trance, the man had walked over to stand behind him.

Naruto could only nod, enamored as he still was by the staves.

"That's interesting... Kushina did say that the weapons were for someone else..." The man mused.

Upon hearing the name 'Kushina' though, every member of team nine perked up.

"K-Ku-Kushina?" Naruto stammered as his eyes flickered between the man and the staves.

"Yeah. Nice lady with possibly the brightest red hair I've ever seen." Kisuke mused. "She came in here way back when Matsu-chan was still in ANBU and she looked around for weapons. Bought a fuck-ton of shuriken, kunai, ninja wire, the whole typical lot. She also bought a katana that day. However, before she bought the katana, she actually wanted those same staves you're holding."

"Re-really?"

"Yeah. She actually brought them over to the counter before she stopped, turned around and returned them. When I asked why, she said that as much as she felt something for them the staves called out to someone else."

"So that's why you never put them up for discount sale." Matsu said quietly to which Kisuke nodded.

"So, kid, you want 'em?" The man asked.

Naruto stammered. It wasn't like he didn't want them, they had a piece of his mother for Kami's sake, but they were bound to be damned well out of his monetary reach. Gama-chan had to be tearing up a storm in his back pocket right now.

"Kid? Simple answer: yes or no?" Kisuke prodded.

"Yes." Naruto sighed. "I mean, I know I don't have the money now but-"

"It's yours." Kisuke said flippantly and turned to walk back to the counter.

"-we might be able to work something out- WAIT WHAT?"

"You heard me." Kisuke replied with a shrug. "Kushina paid for it. In her words: _It's weird, I know, but I really wish I could own it so I guess paying for it kinda makes me the owner. Of course, I trust that you'll remember that it's already paid for won't you?_ After which she put on the oddest smile I've ever seen. It was almost beatific yet it spoke of hellish things to come."

"Wow uncle." Tenten said in awe. "You've got scary good memory."

"Maybe but Kushina had a hell of a memorable scary face." Kisuke rejoined. "So, brat, its yours."

Naruto couldn't stop the small trickles of tears that ran down his cheeks. "Thank you Kisuke-san."

"Meh, don't mention it." The man then turned to the aspiring kunoichi of team nine. "You girls got all you want?"

"Yeah." Tsubame replied softly while Kazehana nodded. "Thank you, Kisuke-san, Matsu-san."

With a soft smile, the black haired woman nodded. "You're welcome."

"Okay!" Kisuke whooped. "Now that the touching moment's over, it's payday eh, Anko?"

"Cool your jets you money grabbing lump." Anko grumbled as she reached into her ever present trenchcoat to pull out her wallet. "What's the total?"

Kisuke proceeded to pull out a totally unnecessary calculator. "Let's see: two dozen shuriken at four hundred and fifty ryo per piece; two dozen kunai at five hundred ryo per piece; two dozen explosive tags at two hundred and fifty ryo per slip; a full spool of ninja wire at four thousand ryo; a quartet of fūma shuriken at one thousand five hundred ryo per piece and one dozen senbon at a discount price of three hundred and fifty ryo each! Total: forty-three thousand ryo."

Anko perked up. "Hey! That's not so-"

"Multiplied by three genin!" Kisuke whooped, again, totally unnecessary.

Tenten and Matsu couldn't restrain themselves from laughing at Anko's stunned look.

"A hundred and-" the purple haired jōnin whipped around to glare at her genin. "You brats had better start raking in successful missions cause I can't keep up with you at this rate."

"Oh please." Tenten drawled as she rolled her eyes. "You've spent way more on dango."

Letting out a small but concentrated pulse of KI, Anko glared at the brunette. "You really don't want to cross a pissed off Anko."

Tenten would later deny it vehemently but at that moment, she 'eeped.'

—~ ~—

"So, where's Shibuki-san?" Tsubame asked impatiently. "We've been standing here for more than-"

"Twenty minutes Tsubame." Kazehana interrupted in between bites of her potato chips. "We know. We've been here as long as you have."

"Yeah but I don't have the eternal patience of Kazehana Misora." Tsubame shot back testily before forcibly suppressing her anger. "Sorry, guess Anko-sensei's hatred for lateness has gotten a bit rooted into me."

"No problem, Tsu-chan." Naruto mumbled from his spot under the tree where he was intently studying the staves he had acquired. "You think she knew?"

"Huh?"

"My mom..." He was about to say her name when he realized that he was standing out in the open. "You guys think she knew she was paying for me?"

Both girls were quiet for the first few minutes before Kazehana sighed. "I don't think so, Naruto. From what Kisuke-san said, she bought weapons that day. Plus, she was out and about, so to speak. Crossing that against what Hokage-jiji told us, about how she stopped taking missions the instant she knew about you and how she 'went to ground' so to say after getting married, I'd say she most likely didn't know. Sorry."

"No, Kazehana. It's alright." He turned to look at the two girls with a small but a hundred and ten percent genuine smile shining at them. "I'm just happy to know that the universe doesn't totally hate me."

"Look sharp guys." Anko said as she appeared in front of them amidst a swirl of leaves. "Shibuki's a few minutes away. I tailed him from his hotel to two blocks down. Needed to be sure that he wasn't trying his hands on anything stupid."

"Good to know that he wasn't." Tsubame murmured as she slung her backpack over her left shoulder, motions that her teammates mirrored.

"Yo! Shibuki-san!" Anko called out as their client approached. "Hurry up will ya?"

The guy had the decency to look sheepish as he neared them. "Sorry. I got a little sidetracked while packing and then when more sidetracked on my way here. Konoha is a very impressive place."

"It is what it is, I guess. Most of us are used to it going home so maybe we've lost that sense of awe that most visitors get." Anko shrugged. "Anyway, I'm Anko Mitarashi, jōnin-sensei of Team Nine. The guys behind me are my genin. The redhead's Kazehana, the other girl's Tsubame and the blond is Naruto."

"I am Shibuki." He replied with a small bow. "Chūnin of Takigakure."

"Well then, Shibuki-san, if you don't mind, I say we should head out now. It's a five day journey to Taki at a normal civilian pace so leaving now will ensure that we find a good place to pass the night."

"Five days?" Shibuki asked, his tone sounding just a bit disappointed. "We can make it in three-"

"If we tree hop." Anko cut in. "I know that and it's something I plan on teaching my genin. However, this is their first mission outside the village and so I haven't taught them that yet. I trust that this won't be an issue?"

"No, it won't." Shibuki replied. "Sorry, I was just a bit eager to get home."

"No problem." Anko shrugged as she headed toward the building beside the gate. "Izumo? Kotetsu?"

"Kotetsu here!" A muffled voice called out from somewhere. "Izumo stepped out to get lunch."

"Alright. Anko here. I'll leave a clone behind to sign out." Anko called back. "Team Nine on a C-rank escort mission to Takigakure. Client's name is Shibuki, chūnin of Taki. We clear?"

"Yeah." Kotetsu grunted back. "Drop a sample DNA and you're good to go."

"What the hell are you doing in there anyway?" Anko shouted across as she picked an innocuous looking pen and then jabbed it into her palm, allowing it to draw blood while casually blocking Shibuki from seeing what was going on. "Isn't it regular gate etiquette for you to at least step out and see what I'm doing?"

"It is," he grunted in agreement, this time sounding almost pained, "but Musubi and I went out last night to some new restaurant and I think I might have had a bit too much of their spicy curry rice or whatever it was called."

Anko burst out in laughter upon hearing that. "So now your ass hurts like its being slow roasted?"

"Yeah. And I'm shitting my guts out too." Another pained grunt. "You're clear. Have a great time showing the brats Taki."

"Sure. And try not to shit your guts out." Anko dropped the pen and turned to her team. "Let's get going."

—~ ~—

 _ **Two Days Later...**_

"So, Naruto, how goes the training?" Tsubame asked as they walked through the foliage. "You made any head way?"

"A bit, nothing too far unfortunately. At least, not in the ninjutsu department." Naruto sighed. "The clones are doing great at the taijutsu though. I'll just need to work with the accumulated knowledge so I can get used to the new stances."

"Having shadow clones is just plain cheating." Kazehana mumbled. "It's right up there with having the bloody sharingan."

"Nuh-uh." Naruto shook his head vigorously. "The sharingan is THE cheat. Shadow clones still require a hell of a lot of training. They just shorten the time taken to learn stuff. The sharingan simply copies stuff. Ninjutsu, taijutsu or genjutsu. It copes all."

"Not to mention that it slows perception down long enough for the user to see incoming attacks and be able to dodge them." The Kaguya added. "The only thing that would have been even more shitty would have been if they could copy bloodline techniques."

The three of them (and Anko, who was beside Shibuki, a few paces behind them) shuddered.

"Now _that_ would be cheating." Kazehana replied.

Just then, Naruto missed a step and staggered. "Woah. Anko-sensei! We've got incoming. Two hundred meters Southwest."

Everyone instantly snapped into alertness.

"How many? And what colors are they dressed in?" Anko asked tersely.

"Not too clear on the number but I estimate somewhere between twenty and thirty. Colors are black and green. They're moving stealthily so I give them an ETA of fifteen minutes." Naruto replied.

"They must be of the Shōtazu band." Shibuki put in as he drew two kunai and held them in a reverse grip. "Just regular thugs though there might be one or two with about genin level skill. We usually get missions to clear them out about twice monthly."

"They must be pretty big then." Anko said. "Whiskers; still got eyes on them?"

Naruto nodded. "Two sentries are active and the third should be in position as we speak."

"Good. "Here's what we'll do: Tsubame; get up any tree around us and get a good lock on this clearing. You'll be accompanied by two of Naruto's clones. You're our sniper. Take any open targets out with kill shots, to the head or the heart if you can. We don't have time to cripple them."

With a sharp nod, Tsubame began scaling the nearest tree, two of Naruto's hastily made clones scampering up behind her.

"Kazehana, you're down here to back Naruto up. Avoid using your fire jutsu. Naruto, back her up. Both of you attack with kill shots." Turning to Shibuki, she said: "You and me, back to back. Anyone in Shōtazu's colors? Down 'em quickly."

"Ten minutes out." Naruto reported. "They're spreading to cover our left flank and our rear."

"Alright then. Grab a canteen of water and act natural." The purple haired jōnin ordered quietly as she did the same.

Two minutes short of Naruto's estimate, one of the thugs jumped out from a shrub, a dagger aimed at Shibuki's temple.

Reacting quickly, the average looking chūnin whipped around, dodging the strike as his free hand grabbed the kunai it was holding earlier from his pouch and rammed it into his flying attacker's stomach just as something drilled into the man's skull.

Anko, who was a few feet away from the Taki-nin, immediately weaved around three sloppily thrown kunai and stood back against the chunin's.

"Senei'jashu!" She called out as two snakes shoot out of her outstretched arm to latch onto the jugulars of two approaching thugs.

Up above, Tsubame ensured that she kept her hands straight as she launched bone bullet after the other at her targets. She had begun training in her clan techniques a month ago and, while she couldn't do much since she was trying them out from scrolls without any one that could give any pointers, she had learnt Shigan technique, allowing her to shoot out bone bullets from her index fingers of both arms.

Down below, Naruto was a whirlwind of death. Using his combined taijutsu, he was able to twist and bend out of the clumsy swings of his attacker's while continuously spinning and lashing out with precise kunai strikes to the thugs chests, puncturing lungs and stabbing hearts with every move. Less than two feet from him. Kazehana launched kunai after kunai at any who got too close for comfort.

It was over in less time than it had taken the thugs to cross the two hundred yards in the first place.

"Everyone okay?" Anko asked as she kicked a convulsing man's body out of her way. "Any injuries?"

A round of 'no's' came from her band of shinobi so she whooped happily. "Aw yeah! My team just got out of their first actual scrap!"

Shibuki smiled at her as did her genin but she could see that they weren't exactly happy so she sighed.

"Alright let's get moving. We've got about three hours till nightfall so we should get moving now."

That gave her about two and a half hours to prepare the whole 'don't feel too bad about your first kill speech.'

Where was Yūgao when you needed her?

—~ ~—

End.

Review please.

The Ethereal Lord.


	11. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

Leaning back against the tree trunk, Anko watched lazily as a small vine snake coiled and undulated in an almost hypnotic manner around a smaller branch hanging over her, its scales glistening beneath the light of the bloated full moon.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" a voice beside her asked softly. She wasn't surprised at the slight disturbance, though, as she knew the exact moment he had landed on the branch beside her.

"I don't need much sleep." Anko answered bluntly. Far as she was concerned, he didn't need to know that she rarely ever slept peacefully for more than three hours per night. The rest of the night was always plagued by nightmares she couldn't seem to wake up from.

"Really?" He asked as he sat. "I noticed that you hardly slept through your team's watch and then stayed up the rest of the night."

"Pretty observant aren't you?" Anko replied in a tone that couldn't have sounded more bored if she had been forced to watch the dunes of Suna.

Shibuki sighed and remained quiet... for about three minutes before popping another question. "How do you think they're doing?"

'How the fuck do you think I should know you retard?! Do I look like I'm in their heads?'

"Mitarashi-san?" He called softly, breaking her out of her time-out.

She took a few calming breaths. "They should be fine. The whole 'first kill' speech is one of the things my jōnin-sensei taught me well."

"Oh really?" Shibuki asked brightly. "Could you give me a few pointers? I hope to be a jōnin soon and so I need all the knowledge I can get about being one."

"Hmm..."

—~FLASHBACK~—

EIGHT HOURS AGO

"I'll circle the area for a final perimeter check." Shibuki offered as he crumpled up the ration pack he had just finished for dinner. "I'll clock in for the night after that so I can rest enough for the last watch."

Anko just nodded. She was focused on her genin as they split up from the bonfire.

Kazehana remained where she sat for their dinner while Naruto and Tsubame had walked off; the blond heading toward the river that ran parallel to their camp while Tsubame walked toward the forest.

They seemed to still be struggling with the issue of finally taking the life of another and, as her traitorous sensei had theorized, they had all headed toward places where they could be closest to their natural affinity.

Deciding to start from her closest genin, Anko walked over and sat on the grass by the redhead.

"It feels different, odd, even after all the talks we had back home, doesn't it?"

Nothing. Not even a simple glance to show that she heard. Kazehana just stared into the fire.

Anko decided to push on. Kazehana wasn't a rude girl. She was just in shock. "It's one thing to spar against your jōnin-sensei and another to kill. No matter how hard you take it, how intense it is, you tend to still hold back. Something inside realizes that you aren't in a life-or-death situation so you really don't push yourself to the maximum limit..."

Anko trailed off for a while to let her words sink in. Then, she continued; "In a real fight, especially when it's like the odds are all against you, instinct kicks in. That primal part of your mind takes over... It becomes hunt or be hunted. Kill or be killed."

"I know." Kazehana whispered with a small sniffle. "I know that and you've told me all that. So why does it feel so wrong?"

"Did you want it to feel right?" Anko asked softly. "Did you want to feel good while taking another person's life?"

"Never!" The redhead replied vehemently as she suddenly lunged into her sensei. "No! No! Never! I know we talked about this back home but... I feel so guilty!"

"As you should." Anko consoled her. "That guilt you feel, the pain at taking another huma's life, they all tell you that you are human and you retain your humanity. Only monsters kill without feeling pricks on their conscience. Look at me, Hana-chan."

Slowly, almost like she was ashamed to do so, the redhead lifted her head until her crimson eyes locked onto brown, pupil-less eyes.

"I am known for my skill in torturing people in order to obtain information. As a kunoichi, I have had to kill. Do you think I'm immune to what you feel now?"

The genin's eyes watered as she saw a well of pain hidden behind her sensei's eyes.

"I'm not. I feel the pain. But do you want to know how I cope?"

Scarlet hair flew about as Kazehana nodded vigorously.

"Then let me ask you something." Anko smiled just a little bit. "Why did you kill those men?"

Anko watched as the most intelligent of her genin tried to put her feelings into words.

"I... They... They would have killed Naruto and Tsubame and you and Shibuki-san." She finally answered. "They would have killed the people I care about."

"And?" Anko prodded. The young girl had to admit to what she had done and understand why. It was the most important step to not lose one's self in the grim life of the ninja.

"I..." Kazehana swallowed. "I fought... I killed them... because I didn't want them to kill anyone I love."

Anko's smile grew. "There. To protect. Every shinobi fights to protect something. The more evil ones fight for themselves. Most of us good guys fight for the people we love or the village.

"Killing is never right. As a shinobi you will be asked to fight other shinobi. Self interest comes in and all that. Kill, and protect those you love, or be killed, and your loved ones may die. Our lives are complicated but you must learn that to survive you just have to hold what's dear to you close."

Silence enveloped them as the purple haired jonin, hugged tightly by her redheaded genin stared into the fire.

"I'll clear this up." Kazehana said as she stood. "Thank you sensei."

Still seated, Anko smiled at her. "You're welcome."

'Now... Time to find the other two...' She thought as she began gathering chakra.

The technique she was about to use, the Chakura Nami, was one that Kurenai had shown her some years back. It involved releasing a controlled, omnidirectional burst of chakra that acted like a sonar ping. The user would read the returned 'pings' to gain a mental picture of the chakra sources around. However, it was a two edged sword: while it worked perfectly, telling the location of even surpressed chakra signatures as it bounced off all chakra sources, it also painted a big fat bullseye on the user to any decent shinobi above rookie genin.

As far as Anko was concerned, though, being with her team and their client, she could freely use it.

A few seconds later, she released a burst of chakra that was about the same quantity that would be used for a regular bunshin.

As the pings returned, she gained the information she needed.

'Whiskers' at the river and Tsubame's a few meters to the left... Tsubame it is.'

Decision made, Anko walked up the tree and plopped down beside her silver haired genin.

"You okay?"

Tsubame shrugged. "About as okay as I normally feel. The guilt of killing's still rubbing me raw but I already came to the same decision Kazehana just came to."

Anko arched her brow at that. "Wasn't expecting you to get over it so quickly."

"Kazehana's pretty emotional. That's why she seemed to take it hardest." The Kaguya girl shrugged. "Coupled with the talks we already had, it was pretty easy to get out of my funk about it. I'm pretty sure Blondie's over it too."

"Really? So why the hell have you been acting all moody?"

At this point, Tsubame's eyes began to flick around as her shoulders tensed. "That's the problem. I... I enjoyed it."

Anko wanted to yell at her, asking what the hell she meant but she decided to hold off on that. Instead, she quietly asked for an explanation.

"I know I put that the wrong way. Sorry, I meant that I enjoyed the fighting." Tsubame started quietly. "I won't ever like killing. But... During the fight, I realized that I enjoyed the battle. I enjoyed being challenged in a possible life or death scenario and coming out on top. It made me feel... Alive..."

Anko was very glad she hadn't yelled when she wanted to as that could easily lead to the poor girl feeling alienated for something that wasn't her fault.

"Tsubame... Did you read all the clan scrolls of the Kaguya or just the techniques?"

"Techniques for now." Tsubame replied with a look of confusion. "I decided to leave the clan scrolls until I completed at least two of the clan techniques."

Anko cocked her head at that. "That's a bit unusual. Most people would read the clan scrolls before the techniques."

Tsubame's pale cheeks flushed. "Well... I, uh, I thought I'd feel more like a Kaguya if I learnt a few techniques before reading the scroll. I know it seems silly but I guess out makes me feel closer to them somehow. Kinda like a rite of... Acceptance."

"Ah... That's okay." Anko smiled. "Well, I asked because one of the things the Kaguya clan were known for was their love for battle.

"According to some of the public records I found in the library, the Kaguya were a battle-inclined clan. They were not sadistic or anything and they never made mockery of opponents, even those that lost, but they enjoyed fighting to show their own skill."

Anko stopped to allow her words to sink into the young Kaguya before continuing. "So, maybe the reason you enjoyed the fighting was because, like the Shikotsumyaku, the love of battling is in your blood."

"But... Isn't that wrong?" Tsubame asked. She was thoroughly confused. She loved what she had felt as she battled and wanted to feel it again. Yet, for some reason, she felt strange about it.

"Tsubame, you need to understand that loving the battle isn't evil. Wanting to show your skill against another isn't evil." Anko explained. "It's the act of going out of your way to battle, in spite of the consequences, that is wrong. The Kaguya never fought just for the love of fighting. They fought when they had something to protect or in spars. They never actually hunted for fights."

"So, you're saying that I should embrace the instinctual love of fighting without letting it become my reason for living?" Tsubame asked tentatively.

"Pretty much." Anko shrugged. "The Inuzuka Clan have a similar love for fighting and they're pretty well balanced."

"Oh..." Tsubame trailed off as she came to terms with the idea in her mind. "Thank you sensei."

"No problem." Anko stood up. "I'm heading over to see Whiskers. You head back to camp."

"Got it sensei."

Two minutes later, Anko was standing on another branch, this time by the river that flowed by their camp, watching as her favorite blond battled his three opponents on the surface of the river.

Nagareru Ken... Flowing Fist he had called it. A style that combined the flexible offensive and defensive capabilities of Tai Chi with the speedy, continuous movement of the Baguazhang and a healthy dose of simply complex Naruto unpredictability allowing him to fight well against both single and multiple targets.

The shirtless Naruto (the original, Anko reminded herself as she remembered the blond's spontaneous decision to fight bare chested against his clones during one of Konoha's heat waves. The decision had cost him a beat down from the clones.) ducked a crescent kick from one clone and twisted out of the way of another attack, this time a roundhouse punch, only to get smacked in the skull by his third clone's flying kick.

"I think he's gonna need a break after that one." A fourth clone seated high up in a tree grinned. "That was a great hit."

"What matters is that we're getting better at fighting in tandem." One of the sparring clones stated. "And our efforts with the Nagareru-"

The clone suddenly shut itself up and backflipped to dodge a barrage of a half dozen water spheres.

"Suiton: Teppōdama!" The original shouted as he raced toward one of his scattered clones. "You idiots should have learned to never relax until you're sure your opponent is down for the count."

Whipping out a kunai, the target clone settled itself into a loose stance. "Yeah, well you're our creator so we can only do the shit you'd do."

Shirtless Naruto scowled as he released two levels of resistance, allowing him to move fast enough to appear right in front of the clone. Ducking a sloppily thrown blow, he prepared to deliver a crushing blow to the clone's chest when his senses and instincts flared up. Without missing a beat, Naruto shifted to the side, feeling the water splash on him as the second clone descended with a brutal ax kick.

Whipping out a second kunai, Naruto spun back to deliver a reverse handed kunai stab into his clone's chest only to see three water spheres bearing down on him with vengeance.

Given no other choice, Naruto cut off chakra to his feet, the last spike of his sodden blond hair disappearing a split second before the spot erupted in a shower as the water spheres smashed into the spot.

"He isn't down!" The clone that had just utilized ninjutsu warned as it ran over to stand back to back with the other two. "Be on the lookout!"

"He dropped his resistance." A second spoke. "Nearly nailed me back there."

The other two nodded. "Got it."

Suddenly, the water exploded violently, creating an even greater splash than before.

Up in the air, Naruto twisted to look down on his confused clones, shrouded by the smoke of the one he had dispelled with his explosive rising uppercut. When he was set, he hurled the kunai in his hands at the two before flying through handseals.

"Fūton: Daitoppa!"

The wall of wind sped the kunai up to such a degree that the clones were dispelled before they even noticed them.

Seconds later, Naruto landed in the water, creating the third great splash Anko witnessed.

After dragging himself onto the river bank, Naruto flopped onto the grass and pointed toward the hidden clone from before. "Tell everyone to dispel in groups of ten at five second intervals."

"Got it boss." The clone nodded. "I'll tell them to begin ten seconds after I dispel."

The clone turned to head deeper into the forest before stopping. "Oh, and Anko-sensei is over there."

Naruto glanced toward the tree the clone had pointed out to see his trenchcoat clad sensei watching him with an amused smile. "Got it."

"Yo sensei!" He greeted with a small wave of his arm. "I'd get up to talk to you but I'm a little sore now. Plus I'm about to get a headache."

"No problem Whiskers." Anko replied as she walked down from the tree. "I'll just head over to get front row seats to your hangover."

"I don't know whether to hate you or not." Naruto groaned. "Okay... Here we go."

Then, he passed out.

Anko just shook her head at him. Oh, she'd warned him about using the kage bunshin so much, especially when he was tired but the blond would rather knock himself out than slow down on his training.

With a sigh, the purple haired jōnin dragged her student over to the river edge, scooped up some water in her hands and poured it over the boy's forehead.

"Sensei?" He groaned tiredly as his eyes opened. "What-"

"Quiet Whiskers." Anko said without stopping. "I swear, sometimes I wonder why you train so hard. I mean, I get that you want to be the Hokage but-"

"That's not it." Naruto replied with a soft yet bitter smile. "At least, it isn't so much of a reason as before."

"Then why?"

Naruto held up three fingers. "One: what I am. 'Power of Human Sacrifice', Jinchūriki.

We're weapons, sensei, for the use of the village.

"Now, I don't believe I'm just some special ace in the hole for Konoha. Hell no, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Prankster King from Hell, soon to be greatest Hokage in history. But I am a jinchūriki. And jinchūriki fight for their villages. And if the stuff we read in the bingo book shows me anything, its that short of maybe the Rokubi and Nanabi, I'll get my ass handed to me in seconds. So I've gotta get stronger. Fast."

Anko remained silent as she thought over what he'd said. And he was right.

"Two: the Yondaime sealed it into me. Jii-san says its because he trusted me. Well, I might resent him and all but he's still the first to trust me. I can't let him down. He died protecting Konoha so I have to do my best to honor that."

Again Anko couldn't fault his logic so she remained silent, waiting to hear the third reason.

"Finally, even if I wasn't a jinchūriki or I didn't want to honor the Yondaime's legacy, I have people I must protect.

"You, Jii-san, Yūgao-sensei, Ayame-nee and Teuchi-jii... Tsubame-chan and Kazehana-chan... Even if I didn't care about Konoha, I still want to protect you. And a weak person can't protect anything."

Silence blanketed the two until Anko finally spoke up: "Damn, Naruto, I never would have expected you to be such a deep thinker."

The blond shrugged as he sat up. "Guess the girls are rubbing off on me."

"It definitely seems that way." Anko mused. "What happened to 'I'll grow stronger to prove myself to the villagers'?"

"Waste of time." Naruto scoffed. "They wouldn't accept me unless I saved the village from some practically undefeatable foe single handedly. Hell, even then they'd just switch out disgust with fear."

"You're growing." Anko smiled. "Wouldn't have expected you to become so mature so quickly. Hell, I came here to talk to you about your killing those thugs earlier."

The blond's countenance saddened a bit upon hearing that. "Oh, well you and Yūgao-sensei had already spoken to us about it so it wasn't so difficult to get over it. I mean, killing is wrong but its kinda our business as shinobi so why bother getting too down about it?"

"Like I said..." Anko smiled as she ruffled his hair. "You're growing more mature."

"Thanks sensei."

—~FLASHBACK END~—

"Anko-san?" Shibuki called out softly, jarring the jōnin out of her memories.

"Ah, sorry Shibuki. Got carried away. What did you need again?"

"Advice on how to talk to my future genin about their first kills." He answered.

"Ah..." Anko nodded and proceeded to give him as much advice as she felt like.

—~ ~—

"So, Blondie," Tsubame asked, earning a withering glare from her teammate as they continued along their path to Takigakure. "How goes your training?"

In response, Naruto dropped the glare and shrugged. "It goes well. I've gotten used to the taijutsu style and I've been practicing how to fight against multiple opponents, you?"

"I've hit the next stage of the projectile techniques. Three-fingered Shigan." She waggled three fingers as she spoke. "I've also gotten the first stage of the projection techniques though it takes about four seconds to create a blade the length of my palm."

"That's a bit too long but you'll definitely get better." Kazehana said encouragingly. "I've got one raiton jutsu added to my list while I've gotten the principles for two more genjutsu."

"Don't forget your taijutsu." Naruto warned. "Remember the triangle."

"Tai-Gen-Nin." Kazehana nodded. "My apex point is currently Genjutsu which is why I've been working on my ninjutsu. Trap enemies in a genjutsu from a distance then let loose a quick ninjutsu to finish them off."

"And if they survive and manage to get up close?" Tsubame countered. "Without any skill in taijutsu, you'd be done for."

"Hey! I've got skill in taijutsu!" The redhead snapped testily.

"Hey, go easy on her Tsu-chan." Naruto said before suddenly freezing up.

 _'It took you long enough to listen!'_ The Kyūbi snapped inside his mind. _'Stand still and take a long, deep breath.'_

Naruto instantly did as he was ordered. While he still didn't trust the entity within him, he had come to terms with the fact that the fox never communicated without there being serious reason.

 _'There!'_ The Kyūbi stated. With the boost from the deal with the bijū and the fact that it could experience the world through its host, Naruto had been introduced to a new world of information that even now, a full month later, he was just beginning to comprehend it.

Lucky for him, he had a Kami-knows-how-old bijū within him that could help with the expanded senses.

As it was doing now.

Upon isolating a specific mix of scents, the bijū then ordered him to try to identify each.

'Smells like... Sweat, grass and blood...'

 _'Glad to know you still have a brain somewhere in there.'_ The fox stated, its androgynous voice dripping with sarcasm. _'Now think: does that scent of grass smell like any of the vegetation that have surrounded us for the past three days?'_

Quickly cataloging this new scent, Naruto did as he was asked and came up with an answer almost instantly. 'The two definitely do not match. Not to mention the fact that the scents seem to drift along with the wind currents instead of permeating it as it should be in any natural setting.'

 _'Inform your sensei.'_ The bijū stated before drifting back from the fore of the boy's mind.

"Sensei! Trouble!"

Instantly, Anko walked up to her team, Shibuki a few steps behind her. "What is it?"

"I smell sweat, grass and blood." Naruto stated. "But the grass doesn't match any vegetation we've encountered."

Anko seemed ready to talk but Shibuki cut in. "Can you tell anything else about them like their numbers or position?"

Naruto shook his head. "Their scents are too dispersed for me to get individual-specific scents. However, I believe they're coming from..." He took in another breath before his hand shot out to point left. "West."

"Kusagakure." The Taki shinobi grimaced. "They're known to have some pretty good sensors and we're practically on the border dividing Kusa from Taki."

Anko was locked in a dilemma. She could use the Chakura Nami to scout out the number and possible strength of their opponents at the risk of blatantly displaying their own location or she could do nothing and risk having an element of surprise...

"When I give the word, I want the three of you to-"

"That would be pointless, sensei." Tsubame stated calmly. Turning to her, everyone could see the cold, calculative look in her steel gray eyes. "If they have a half-decent sensor then they will believe that we have two genin, a chūnin and two jōnin. If we split up, they'll believe that a jōnin is leading two genin away from the fray and they will, accordingly, divert some of their force to cut down the supposed jōnin."

Anko gritted her teeth in annoyance. Tsubame was right. Naruto's chakra reserves were easily jōnin level and so having them split up would simply play out as the Kaguya said.

"Fine." She conceded as she gathered her chakra for a burst. "Stay close to each other though."

With that, she released the chakra.

A few seconds later, her eyes refocused on her surroundings. "Three chūnin and a jōnin and judging by their current speed, they should be here in two minutes, tops."

"How do we go about this then?" Shibuki asked.

"I'll take the jōnin. Shibuki, you take one chūnin and the three of them-" she pointed at the genin, "will go up against the remaining two chūnin. I'll try to finish up quickly to join you."

"Got it." Kazehana nodded. Then she turned to her friends. "Tsubame. Plan?"

"Naruto takes one of the chūnin solo." She replied instantly. "Meanwhile, you trap the other in a genjutsu long enough for me to finish him off with a bullet. Then we join up with Naruto."

"That's tying a lot of hope on the assumption that Naruto can defeat a chūnin solo." Kazehana pointed out.

"No." Naruto corrected. "She doesn't expect me to defeat him solo. Even with our training, that's still a bit of a long shot. She just needs me to hold him off until both of you can join in."

"Ah... Stalling tactics." Kazehana nodded.

Just then, a kunai flew out of the undergrowth at Anko who simply caught it between two fingers.

"Well, Kami-sama must love me." A tall, red haired man grunted as he stepped out of the undergrowth. "I'd seen your new update in the bingo book but I wasn't expecting to meet you so soon."

"Kisama-san." Anko smiled coldly. "Still pissed that your ass was my test back then? Well, take it up with Ibiki. I was still a brat back then and he was my CO. Besides, you're alive aren't you?"

"You smug bitch." Kisama growled. "You nearly ended my career!"

"You're here aren't you?" Anko quipped back without a hint of humor. "Just be glad it was done in the forest. If that was back in Konoha, you'd definitely be dead."

"Kura, Osawari, take the brats. Natsumi, you can have Shibuki." Kisama ordered. "This bitch is mine."

—~ ~—

"Tch, we have to deal with brats?" Kura snorted as he walked out of the shadows.

"Be careful." A green haired woman warned. "There were two jōnin level chakra signatures here."

"Sure." A blue haired man scoffed. "One of these brats is a jōnin. Kura, take the blond. I'll have some fun with the girls."

"Pedo-" Kura's insult was cut off as he was blasted back by a swift but powerful kick from Naruto. Simultaneously, Shibuki launched himself at the woman, kunai in both hands."

"What the-" Osawari's eyes widened in shock as he felt a creeping sensation running through his chakra coils. 'Genjutsu!' He thought as he jumped to the left. Feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder, he let loose a short burst of chakra to dispel the genjutsu. Upon feeling the pain continue, he looked down to see a stream of blood flowing from a hole in his left bicep.

"Damnit." Tsubame swore quietly as she shifted into the opening stance of the Hung Ga. "He dodged."

"You still hit him." Kazehana observed as she moved a few steps behind her silver haired friend. "That still counts."

"Looks like we're going with plan B." Tsubame sighed. Plan A had been simple: the instant Naruto moved, Kazehana would trap the second opponent in a genjutsu and Tsubame would dispatch him with a bone bullet to the heart.

"Definitely plan B." Kazehana agreed as she sped through handseals. 'Note to self: tell the others to up attack speeds.'

—~ ~—

'Note to self:' Naruto thought as he ducked beneath a kunai slash. 'Never give an opponent the chance to breath, especially when you get the drop on him. Or her.'

That was an important lesson he really wished he had learnt before this battle.

'Well...' He amended as he spun around two jabs aimed at his chest. 'Anko-sensei and Yūgao-sensei did warn me about that.'

Immediately after the initial sucker punch, he had followed up with two body shots and an uppercut that had sent the Kusa nin flying into a nearby tree. Expecting that to be the end of it, he had turned, ready to go help his friends when his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of air being displaced close to his head. He had barely dodged the kick that came in and had been on the defensive ever since.

 _'You're only here because of your own stupidity.'_ The Kyūbi growled. _'Don't you dare die ningen.'_

'Fine.' Naruto snapped as he flipped back, out of his opponent's reach. Bringing his hands up into his signature handseal. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

From the smoke cloud that erupted, two blonds flew at Kura, one going high with a flying kick and the other aiming for the Kusa-nin's abdomen.

"So you're the one with jōnin level reserves hmm?" Kura smirked as he jumped back to avoid the two attacks. His attackers never relented as they unleashed attack after attack, always alternating their strikes in an attempt to trap him. "Impressive..."

Just then, he was forced to sidestep hastily as one of the clones that had fallen behind suddenly spring boarded off the back its partner to lash out with a swift ax kick. Before he could regain his balance, the second clone appeared by his side and jabbed an elbow into his ribs.

'We've found our opening!' Naruto thought as he followed Kura, wailing away at him with a series of combos from his Tai Chi while his clone joined in with Baguazhang strikes.

Suddenly, Kura was enshrouded by smoke and Naruto felt his hand hit something that definitely wasn't the human body.

'Shit! Kawarimi!' He thought as his clone grabbed threw him at a tree.

'Just in time.' He thought as he twisted midair to land safely on the tree. He had just received the memories of his clone who had been dispelled by... something...

'Damn!' He thought as his eyes darted about. 'This just got a lot more difficult.'

—~ ~—

Osawari jumped back, narrowly escaping the ball of lightning that struck the ground in front of him only to dodge again as the silver haired girl he had been fighting against jumped in and renewed their fight.

Thus was the pattern the fight had taken since they had injured him at the beginning. The silver haired girl would attack with taijutsu for a while then she would retreat and the redhead would pepper him with ninjutsu. Unfortunately, knowing the pattern didn't mean he could do much to stop it. With one arm practically useless, he could only dodge taijutsu attacks and his fingers were responding too slowly for him to use ninjutsu. Calling for back up was also out of it. Kura was fully engaged in battle with the blond and Shibuki had Natsumi on the run.

'Damn it!' He thought as he retreated from the relentless taijutsu attacks. 'Aren't they supposed to be genin?'

"Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu!"

Again, he had to move swiftly as the blazing balls of death raced toward him.

So preoccupied was he that he never felt the slight disruption in his chakra coils.

A few seconds later, a sharp pain tore through his chest. Looking down, he saw his chūnin vest darken around a new hole.

'Genjutsu... Then that bullet technique...' He thought as his mind clouded. 'Pretty intelligent for genin.'

—~ ~—

'Damn it!' Naruto grunted as he was punched in the gut. 'How exactly did shit get so fucked up?'

A few minutes ago, he had been on the offense, dishing out the hits in sync with his clone. Then, all of a sudden, the raven haired man pulled some weird jutsu that had dispelled his clone and was on him like glue. Even dropping his resistance back to level one hadn't granted him any respite.

'Fuck it!' Naruto growled inwardly. 'Time to add a new element to this fight!'

Twisting out of the path of a punch, Naruto pushed a hand forward, breaking into Kura's guard, to smack the larger man's jaw. Taking advantage of his opponent's stagger, the blond flipped back while calling his signature jutsu. This time, four clones landed by his side, hands already blurring through handseals as their creator landed.

"Suiton: Teppōdama!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa!"

Two of the cloneslet loose a torrent of blindingly fast water spheres at their opponent while the other two unleashed a gale of wind to further increase the speed of the water orbs.

Their creator, however, was looking the other way.

'No chūnin worth their vest would fall for such a blatant attack.' He thought as he scanned the surrounding foliage for his enemy. Just as the noise of the jutsu attack died down, he noticed an abrupt shift in the bushes to his right. 'There!' He thought as he hurled one of his kunai toward the tree, hands flying through the half dozen set of seals he needed for his follow up jutsu.

"Kunai kage bunshin!"

Instantly, the single kunai became a dozen that sped toward the offending branch.

Once again, though, the original Naruto was looking somewhere else. 'He should pop up...'

Abruptly, he spun back to face the same spot he had just attacked and hurled his second kunai just a bit higher, to the left. "Fūton: Reppūshō!" A clone beside him yelled as it followed up the attack with another gust of wind.

With a gurgle, the raven haired Kura fell out of the tree he was hiding in, a kunai lodged in his throat.

"How did you know where he was?" Shibuki asked as he walked up to the blond, twin water whips splashing onto the ground as his control over them ended.

"It took me a while but I realized how he took out my first clone. He had a clone somewhere that threw kunai at me. When I realized that, I simply lured him into showing me where the clone was." Naruto shrugged while his clones dispelled.

"And how did you do that?"

"I figured that with a large enough attack, he'd lure me into killing the clone and then take me out while my guard was down." Naruto answered as he watched Osawari hit the ground with a hole through where his heart was. "He still thought I was a jōnin so I knew he'd try to hide behind the clone to throw me off. Two of the same scents coming from the same area would seem like just one without double-checking. So I spotted him when he substituted to his last position."

"Pretty impre-"

"Katon: Ryūka!"

A agonizing scream echoed through the forest for some seconds before dying out.

Anko walked out from wherever it was her fight had taken her, a fresh dango stick being told about between her teeth. "You're all done?"

"Pretty much." Kazehana shrugged. "Only the green haired woman's alive."

"I decided to keep her alive so we could question her." Shibuki stated. "We need to know if she's here for any specific reason and I personally want to know if Kusa's planning anything against us. Against Taki, I mean."

Anko shrugged. "Knock yourself out. You've only got about an hour though. We need to get to Taki within the next three hours."

The average looking Taki shinobi nodded once then walked over to the tree he had tied his green haired foe.

"Anko-sensei!" Naruto called out as he bounced about like kid on sugar. "We just got out of a fight against shinobi!"

"And of higher rank to boot!" Tsubame added with a whoop. "Are we awesome or what?"

"We aren't awesome." Kazehana stated with a bored look before a grin grew on her face. "We're badass!"

"Yeah, we get it team 'badass'." Anko smiled. "But we still need to finish the mission."

"On it!" Naruto saluted before bringing his hands to form the 'cross' seal. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

A fresh dozen clones appeared amidst the cloud of smoke.

"You know what to do guys!" Naruto shouted happily. With a quick nod, they jumped off to set up a sentry net for their boss.

"Okay, now that that's done..." Anko yawned, dropping her ass onto the ground. "Let's talk about your performance. That way, we'll know what you need to work on and what needs to be added to your training."

The three shuddedred upon hearing the last bit before Kazehana spoke up: "We need to up our attack speeds. We could have ended it quickly if we had finished our guy in that initial attack..."

—~ ~—

"Well, this is where I'll be stopping." Shibuki smiled at his escorts as they walked out of the forest to stand at a river bank. Straight ahead lay Takigakure's Waterfall. "Thank you but you'll have to leave."

"No problem, Shibuki-san." Anko nodded. "Guys, let's go."

"Alright then." Naruto nodded as he hi-fived the Taki-nin. "See you... Whenever."

"You too... Whiskers." Shibuki grinned at the blond's dismayed look as he shook the two girls and their sensei.

"Aww man!" Naruto groused. "Not you-"

He was cut off abruptly when a green blur slammed into him. When his eyes finally refocused, he found himself staring into twin pools of orange.

For some reason, he felt like he knew the person.

"Hey Nana." He found himself saying.

"Yo Kyū!" The eyes replied brightly.

"Naruto!" Tsubame's voice called out, dragging him back to reality.

The eyes belonged to a girl with mint-green hair. Her skin was darker than he had ever seen and she wore a white shirt with detached sleeves running down both arms from just above her elbows. She wore a short skirt and on her back she had a red... cylinder-thing with straps that crossed over her chest.

"Sorry!" Shibuki apologized as he pulled her off. "Fū's a really fun girl. I guess she accidentally tackled you."

"Yeah... Sorry..." She mumbled, eyes never leaving Naruto.

Quickly piecing together the facts Anko glanced at Shibuki. "Jinchūriki?"

"Nanabi." Shibuki confirmed. Angling his head slightly toward Naruto, he asked: "Kyūbi?"

Seeing no point in lying, Anko nodded. "Well, sorry, love birds but we need to get home."

The mention of the forbidden word had both jinchūriki yell a quick 'hey!' before breaking eye contact.

"Let's do this again, shall we?" Naruto asked with a wide grin. "Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure. Number nine."

"Fū, just Fū, of Takigakure. Number seven." She replied with an equally wide grin. "Love to stay but I need to get inside and rules state that"

"We know." Naruto nodded. "Hope to see you around?"

"Definitely." She nodded.

—~ ~—

 _ **Three Days Later**_

'Two more days and this period of ramen-less living will come to an end!' Naruto wrote to himself. 'O the joys of ramen!'

 _'You have problems the Rikudō Sennin would have had problems solving.'_ The bijū scoffed. _'I mean, really. Ramen?'_

'I refuse to rise to your baiting.' Naruto sniffed.

A few minutes later, something else crossed his mind. 'You know, even knowing that there are nine of us, I never thought I'd meet even one without it being a battle kinda thing. Meeting Fū was just... Wow...'

 _'Would you give it a rest already?'_ The Kyūbi snapped. _'Kami doesn't give a fuck about your thoughts and neither do I. Especially when you keep repeating them.'_

'You've been rather testy.' Naruto thought back. 'Is it that time of the month for your female half?'

 _'I'd respond to that but your sensei seems to be calling you.'_ The fox yawned before ending the mental link.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Naruto focused on his surroundings only to stop with a start.

"Took you long enough to realize." Kazehana stated tersely about ten paces behind him with the rest of his team. Both stood beside their sensei who was perusing the contents of a scroll.

Hearing the tension in the air, he turned to them. "Sorry. Discussions with my inner cunning. What's wrong?"

Anko glanced at him. "Another mission. We're needed as backup for genin team seven, led by Hatake Kakashi."

"The Copy-Nin needs backup? What happened?"

"Apparently, they left on a C-ranked mission to Nami no Kuni two days after we left. Somehow, the mission went to shits and got elevated to an A-rank. Kakashi says he has reason to believe that Zabuza Momochi will show up."

The three genin glanced at each other, seeking consent in each others eyes. After their quick conference, Kazehana nodded to Anko. "We'll take it."

With a nod of her own, the purple haired jōnin quickly pulled out a pen and filled the scroll. Then, she bit her thumb with enough force to draw blood and let three drops fall onto the scroll.

"For confirmation of identity." She said, answering her genin's unasked question as she rolled up the scroll and returned it to its slot underneath the messenger hawk's chest. As the bird flew back to Konoha, Anko flew through handseals.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A huge puff of smoke erupted from the point where her hand touched the ground to cover them all.

"Anko!" A sibilant voice called out from above the genin. "It's been a while."

"Too true Hira-san." Anko replied as the smoke cleared to reveal a large boa, its black scales glistening wherever the sunlight hit. "Any word about him?"

The snake seemed to emit an aura of disappointment. "Nothing unfortunately. Orochimaru has refrained from summoning any other snake but those from Manda's lineage. And since they all act like snobby bastards, we don't ever talk to them. You?"

"Same old zilch." Anko sighed. "He blocked me of the line of Manda so I know about as much as you do about him."

"Don't worry." The snake's sibilant voice reflected feeling of encouragement. "We will get him."

"Thank you. However, right now, I need a favor." Anko stated seriously. "I need to get to Nami no Kuni by tomorrow and my genin can't move as fast as I can."

"Ah... I'll do it." The snake seemed to nod.

"Thank you." Anko replied. "I'll summon you on the border of Nami."

The snake seemed to nod again before its tongue shot out, wrapped around the genin and slithered back into its mouth before it dispelled.

Landing softly on the grass, Anko released all six of her resistance seals before shooting off toward Nami.

—~ ~—

Done.

Phone got stolen which halted the story's update speed. I also lost my work on the Altered side-story I was making for Hinata.

At this point, I'll simply ask if you think that's actually necessary. The tie in is mostly to explain how Hinata will be able to do stuff she never seemed able to do before. So please, drop your opinion with a review.

As usual,

Please Read & Review.

The Ethereal Lord.


	12. Chapter 11

To Sōtaichō (I'm guessing that's what Staich means), your review answer is in the End Author's Note. As well as a major apology.

 _ **Chapter 11**_

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A large puff of smoke burst out. "Only three days?"

"I... ran straight back to Konoha... for a restock... then flat-out sprinted to the docks. Then... when the boat dropped me... I ran all the way here. Couldn't miss... the only boat that... heads into Nami."

"Harsh."

"You don't know the half of it." Anko gasped. "Let them out please. And then dispel yourself."

"Got it." The snake nodded. Unhinging its jaw, it rolled its tongue inward before unrolling it to the ground, dropping the still, sleeping bodies of Anko's genin. "I'll tell Sasha-sama that you said hi."

"Thanks." Anko smiled as she walked over to administer the antidote for the coma inducing poison Hira had injected into them. "I owe you one."

"Don't give in to that bastard's seal and we'll be even." The snake replied before dispelling.

Having administered the antidote, she dropped onto the grass, exhausted from her two hour sprint from the Konoha boat's drop-off point to this point where she would grab another boat to Nami no Kuni.

—~ ~—

'Ugh...' Naruto groaned as consciousness began to seep in. 'What happened?'

 _'Your sensei had a snake swallow you and your teammates.'_ The Kyūbi stated as its chakra began to flow through its host's coils. _'I temporarily inhibited your superhuman healing ability when I deduced what she was doing.'_

'Which was?' Naruto thought as he felt his body begin to return to his control.

 _'She needed to get to Nami faster than you and your teammates could travel so the snake held you within itself and returned to the summoning realm.'_

'So, we're at Nami?'

 _'Close enough at least.'_ The bijū shrugged.

'Alright then. Thanks.' The blond thought as he slowly pulled himself up to a seating position.

"You okay Whiskers?"

Turning toward her, Naruto saw his sensei sprawled on the grass a few feet from himself, eyes closed and breathing tiredly.

"Pretty much." He shrugged as the sensation of feeling returned to his feet. "Though you could have warned us before dropping us into the belly of a big-ass snake."

His sensei chuckled upon hearing his response. "I didn't drop you into the belly of a snake. I needed to move fast so I had you stuck in the mouth of a snake. We've gotten pretty good at that."

"We?"

"Hira and I." Anko clarified. "It's something we came up with if I ever needed to move at shinobi speed without leaving my clients behind."

Naruto was intrigued. 'They would be too if they were awake.' He thought as he glanced at his still sleeping teammates. "How does it work?"

"To understand, you need to know that there are three classes of snake summons." Anko began. "The first are the speedy snakes. They're usually small and they have an extremely fast acting paralyzing venom. They're best for scouting purposes. Next are the venomous snakes. They're really big and they deliver massive amounts of potent toxins. They're the source of my T&I poisons and they're really good as battle summons.

"The last type are the constrictors. Hira's class. They are the muscle, extremely adept at smashing through walls. Constrictors are also for at holding down prisoners.

"The trick Hira uses is in his venom. It induces a swift coma in whoever it's injected into. Once done, he keeps the body within his mouth without swallowing for up to four days."

"So, you dispel him when he does that and then summon him back whenever you're safe?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah."

"What if you... Die?"

Anko shrugged. "If a shinobi escort dies while protecting the client then, most times, the client is dead anyway. Anyhow, I don't use it that way. I only use it when I need to move faster than my client can."

"Understandable." Naruto nodded before glancing at his friends. "Should they still be asleep?"

"They're in an induced coma." Anko corrected as she turned to glance at her female genin. "Anyway, they should start waking up in a few moments. Not everyone has a bijū inside of them."

After another glance at his friends, Naruto turned to Anko. "So, where are we now?"

"Bank of the Nami ocean border." Anko replied. "We're waiting for a boat that'll take us onto the island."

Naruto, however, was stuck a few words back.

"You moved from the Kusa-Taki Pass to the Nami border? In three days?" He asked in shock. "How'd you move so quickly?"

"Sprinted off to Konoha to pick some supplies, sprinted on to the Konoha docks and grabbed a boat that moved me along the coastline to this point." Anko answered. "Konoha has ways to move quickly. We wouldn't have won three wars if we didn't."

"Damn." Naruto swore softly, still astounded by the speed Anko must have moved at. "So, why didn't the boat take us into Nami?"

"Duh, Blondie." Tsubame slurred as she slowly attempted to sit up. "We're not allied to Nami so every attempt must be made to avoid political issues."

"Tsubame!" Naruto smiled brightly as he hastened over to her side to help her sit up. "You okay?"

"'Ruto, you forgetting me?" Kazehana slurred as well as she sat up.

"Never!" He laughed as her drew them both into a hug.

"Okay guys." Anko cut in quickly. "Whiskers'll bring you up to speed while you get yourselves cleaned up. I've got an extra scroll full of your clothes. Hurry up though. The boat should be here soon."

With a swift nod, the three genin jogged over to the water edge. Naruto pulled off his black overshirt and the spiral-marked orange one beneath it as well as his black pants and other accessories, leaving him in just his ramen-themed boxers and singlet with which he dived into the water.

The girls took of their upper clothes as well, leaving them both in their respective pants and skirt. Instead of jumping in, though, they opted to splash the water over their faces and arms.

Done in less than three minutes, they headed back to Anko who gave them each a scroll while collecting their dirty laundry. With practiced ease, they unrolled the parchment and unsealed a set of clothes while Anko sealed the used ones into another scroll.

In another three minutes, they were fully dressed and adjusting their weapons pouches to their waists.

"I restocked the pouches for you." Anko stated as she splashed water onto her own face. "Dozen kunai and shuriken, single fūma shuriken and a set of senbon plus about two hundred meters of ninja wire. The rest is in my weapons scroll."

"Got it sensei." Naruto stated. "Where are the resistance bands?"

"I'll give 'em to you when we've met up with Kakashi." Anko replied as she stood beside them, eyes scouring the ocean until she spotted the small shape approaching. "If he was right and Zabuza's around, you'll need every advantage to even get out of his sight. The boat's coming. Headbands off."

They complied instantly.

When the boat finally banked up at the shore, Anko walked up to talk to the boatsman.

She gestured for them to join her and within minutes, they were on their way to Nami.

—~ ~—

"Sensei, why are we heading down the coastline instead of going toward the village itself?" Kazehana asked quietly as they made their way through the trees that bordered the coastline. The boat had dropped them off about ten minutes and Anko, having told them to lay low and remain quiet, led the way.

"Kakashi's mission was to escort some bridge builder." Anko explained. "The boatsman told me where to go to find the bridge and that's where we're heading."

"Find the bridge and we'll find the builder and his escort team." Tsubame nodded. "Got it."

"We're close." Naruto stated from his position as their rearguard. "I can hear some yells about masons and rock cutting."

His words were verified a few minutes later when they walked out of the treeline onto the coastal grass. Ahead of them, incomplete as it was, lay the bridge and around it men moved about with purpose.

Yet, the team could feel the undercurrents of fear running through the workers.

"Tazuna-san, the supports for the third phase of the bridge has been set." A red-faced, sweaty young man stated.

His listener, an old looking man with gray hair and wearing a pair of glasses, nodded and glanced at an unrolled scroll that lay beside him. "Excellent news then. Tell the men working on that side to take the next ten minutes off. I'll be joining them in a bit to start laying the slabs."

"Hai Tazuna-san." The younger man nodded and walked off quickly. Anko immediately took the opportunity to walk to the older man.

"Tazuna-san?"

"Who's asking?" He asked brusquely. Through the gruff façade, though, Anko noted how he seemed to instantly retreat into a defensive stance.

"Mitarashi Anko and genin team nine of Konohagakure." She replied calmly as she gestured toward her genin who nodded slightly in greeting. "We're the requested backup jōnin Hatake requested from Konoha."

"Oh..." Tazuna exhaled, his body relaxing and his countenance growing more friendly, changes that Anko noticed. "Sorry, things have been a little tense around here."

"No offense meant, Tazuna-san," Kazehana said with a small frown, "but things feel more than a 'little tense'. What's going on?"

The old man sighed, his face conveying the kind of tiredness that could only come from deep emotional pain.

"Take fifteen everyone! We'll start after that and work for two more hours." He yelled as he walked toward the treeline, gesturing for team nine to follow.

"Well, Tazuna-san?" Anko asked as they sat underneath a tree, its leafy branches shading them from the mid-afternoon sun.

"Twelve years ago, a young man left our village to find greener pastures. He was in his late teens then." Tazuna started, eyes locked onto the bridge. "A year and a half ago, he returned, a wealthy man. He started to invest in some of the businesses in the village, claiming that he wanted to help his people grow...

"All that changed six months later. He had successfully bought out the Daimyo's council as well as all the major businesses in the village. With that done, he began to drain the village, like a parasite. He killed the man who rose to challenge him and thus dealt a devastating blow to the morale of the people...

"I began to build this bridge fifteen months ago with this man's seeming support only to be forced into exile when my backing was withdrawn and my family's life threatened. In my exile, I worked to gather enough money to return and finish this bridge, having only enough to spare for a C-ranked mission. I never realized that my life was in danger. Yet, even now, knowing how dangerous it is for me to even step a foot outside my door, I strive to ensure that the village escapes this evil net thrown over it."

The team was quiet, taking their time to absorb what Tazuna had just said until Naruto spoke up: "Who's the 'young man' you spoke of?"

"Gato."

"As in, THE Gato?" Tsubame asked incredulously. When Tazuna nodded, the silver haired girl swore. "He used to be a mentor!"

"Clearly, he's not mentor material." Kazehana stated.

"Tazuna-san," Anko started, "we heard rumors that Gato might have missing ninja working for him. Do you have any clues who they might be?"

"The shinobi team that brought me here first faced two ninja." Tazuna replied. "I believe Hatake-san called them the Oni no Kyodai."

"Gozu and Meizu." Anko clarified. "The Demon Brothers. Two chūnin level missing-nin from Kirigakure who are believed to have affiliation with Zabuza Momochi."

"That one." Tazuna nodded pointedly. "Hatake-san told me that the man who attacked us at the dock's name is Zabuza. He used a large sword and attacked with water and mist."

Anko glanced at her intently looking genin. "Definitely Zabuza. Do you know where I can find Hatake-san?"

"He's in the glades a bit deeper into the forest." Tazuna answered as he pointed in a direction. "He said he wanted to train the kids he brought along."

"Thank you, Tazuna-san." Anko smiled as she stood up, her genin following her lead. "We'll be off to see him."

"No problem." Tazuna shrugged as he also stood up. "I need to get back to work anyway."

Kazehana was the first to speak as they walked back. "Things just got really bad. Gato's a multimillionaire. He most likely has way more forces under his toe than just one missing-nin."

"Thugs, bandits, possibly even pirates considering the location." Naruto nodded with a frown. "Not a problem normally but with sufficient numbers, Gato can escape if we try to hit him directly."

"That's not my main concern." Tsubame's frown was deeper than her teammates. "What the hell is a rich bastard like Gato doing here?"

"Conquering old stomping grounds?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"No, I think I see where Tsu-chan is going." Kazehana replied. "Gato's already made it. The effort and efficient speed he used to take over Nami doesn't follow for someone who just wants to conquer old stomping grounds. Add the tyranny factor and his not wanting the bridge to be completed and its evident that he doesn't want whatever he's doing here to get out."

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding. "We need to gain information on what's really going on here."

"I'm impressed." Anko finally spoke up as they entered the forest. "You've all been thinking way ahead of your experience. Now, as to the information gathering, Naruto, find a clearing and use your signature technique for what it was made for."

Naruto understood her clearly. "I'll join you guys in a bit."

They continued walking in the direction Tazuna had pointed out when Kazehana swore softly.

"What is it?" Tsubame asked as they walked.

"How high has your tolerance for insufferable bastards gone?"

"I dunno." The Kaguya shrugged. "Haven't had to deal with any since the Acade..."

Just then, the lines connected in her mind.

'Hatake Kakashi... Team seven... Sakura, Kuno and...'

"Fuck."

Anko, who had been like an older sister to them before they even entered the Academy knew exactly why they were pissed. In fact, she had been waiting for them to realize this fact ever since the moment she had seen the Copy-nin's name on the mission scroll.

"You think Blondie has figured it out?" Tsubame asked with a small smile.

Kazehana's smile was bigger when she heard the question. "Fifty ryo says he hasn't."

"I call sucker bet."

Yep, even Anko was itching to see what would happen when the Prankster King from Hell finally met up with The Duck-haired Bastard and his old crush.

—~ ~—

"Good afternoon, Hatake-san." Naruto greeted as he walked into the clearing. "You too Sakura, Kuno. And of course, the teme."

Of the four, Sasuke just grunted and went back to his tree-walking, Sakura ignored him and Kuno smiled a little.

"Ah, Naruto." Kakashi eye-smiled. "We've been waiting for you."

"Sorry." Naruto smiled as he walked over to where Kakashi sat beside Anko and his wide-eyed teammates. "Needed to get something out. What's with the cane?"

The object in question, a plain wooden cane, lay on the ground to Kakashi's left. "That? Well, I got out of a fight with Zabuza but it had me drained so I needed a steady support."

"Guess training the morons must have dulled your edge, Sharingan no Kakashi." Anko scoffed as her blond haired genin sat beside his friends.

"Now that's not very fair." Kakashi murmured. "Anyhow, I need to know how skilled your team is. What do you say to a spar between our teams?"

"I'd say no." Anko replied bluntly. "Sorry but if your team's just learning the tree walk then they don't stand a chance."

"Anko-sensei, there's a clearing a few meters back." Naruto stated as himself and the girls rose. "We would like to go training."

"Knock yourselves out." Anko nodded before throwing a small bag at them. "The bands are in here."

Snatching the bag out of the air, they nodded once and walked out, Naruto leading the way.

"So, what happened?" Anko asked as she watched the last loyal Uchiha struggle to walk up the tree and the pink haired girl laughing at her other female teammate from her spot up in her tree.

Kakashi sighed. "The Demon Brothers were first. They attacked me first but I got out of it. Sasuke was stunned at first but then he snapped out of it and stood in front of his teammates. When Gozu attacked, he tried to fight while Kuno and Sakura tried to support. Unfortunately, they forgot about Meizu. I stepped in, ended it and then questioned Tazuna. I'm guessing you know the story?"

When Anko nodded, he continued: "Well, I figured that we might be getting a visit from Zabuza, considering the Demon Brothers known affiliation with him so I was at alert. When he finally attacked, I had the genin protected in an earthen dome while I fought him. He trapped me in a water bubble prison but a clone I'd made before hand got me out and I was able to take him down. Before I could deliver the final shot, though, a 'hunter-nin' incapacitated him and relieved me of his body."

"Definitely not a hunter then." Anko stated decisively. "No hunter worth their training would take a missing-nin's body away from the location of capture. Especially not one from Kiri."

"Precisely." Kakashi sighed again. "Unfortunately, with my body tired from the fight and my mind busy on the state of my team, I didn't realize that fact until the hunter was gone."

"How many days do you think we have until Zabuza attacks again?"

"Two. Three at max." Kakashi replied. "I have plans to take him out but the main hitch in them was that hunter. I'm not sure but I have to place his skill level at high chūnin at least."

"Why?"

"He put Zabuza in a near death state using senbon." Kakashi replied tersely. "And he threw them from a range of at least a fifty meters out."

Anko whistled softly. "How did you figure the distance?"

"I have a pretty good nose." Kakashi shrugged. "Yet I had no clue that he was even around."

"Damn."

They were quiet for a while, watching as the silver haired jōnin's team continued their practice.

"You know," Anko started as she pulled out a scroll from her coat. "I am very sure team seven haven't completed the requirements needed to be given an internal C-ranked mission, to say nothing of an external one. So how did your team get this?"

"To begin with, you're right." Kakashi admitted. "They only have twelve D-ranks under their belt. In fact, I honestly didn't want to accept this mission. Since we became a team, I've had to struggle to get them to accept each other. Sasuke's too focused on Itachi and rebuilding his clan and Sakura and Kuno are more focused on being his fangirls than shinobi. Kuno's gotten a tad better but Sakura only seems to be getting worse. Asuma and Kurenai have it way too easy and your team's practically a walk in the park."

Anko shrugged, though a small smile tugged at her lips. "I heard you wanted Naruto on your team. Any specifics besides him being his son?"

"We're related." Kakashi shrugged. Seeing the disbelieving look on his face, the masked jōnin decided to explain. "Well, we might be. It was one of those funny things his wife proposed. According to her, the Hatake's Byaku Chakra could be as a result of some old, passed out bloodline getting married to an Uzumaki. According to her, the really dense chakra of the Hatake could have been as a result of an Uzumaki while the smallish reserves could be due to an old clan. She had a plausible case back then and though I don't remember their name, I remember that they had the inability to have large reserves. She said that the highest they could have was average chūnin level chakra reserves."

Anko thought it over. While Orochimaru was a sick bqstard, he was also an unquestionable genius and some of that had rubbed off on her. "Its actually possible considering the fact that no one actually knows the mechanics behind kekkai genkai and their development. So that's why you wanted him. Well, I'm glad I got him. Now, how'd your team get out of Konoha?"

"I think it was a day after you left." Kakashi murmured. "Sasuke heard about your leaving the town. He was furious that, in his words, 'the dobe's team' got a C-ranked mission before he did. So, he walked over to his civilian guardian and before I knew it, Hokage-sama dropped this in our lap."

"Stuck up bastard." Anko glowered at the Uchiha who felt a sudden chill run up his spine.

"He's not so bad when you get to know him." Kakashi shrugged. When he saw the arched eyebrow of his fellow jōnin, he sighed. "Fine. He's pretty bad."

"Good to see you know." Anko stretched before standing up, unknowingly giving the Cyclopean shinobi an eyeful. "Now, I'm off to see my team so your twitching fingers can finally pull out the Pervert's handbook."

Before she could even turn away, the silver haired man had his nose buried in between the pages of an infamous orange book.

—~ ~—

"Are you sure about this?"

"Blondie, we already tested your water wall defense." Tsubame rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. I've got my earthen wall down. So hit me with your best shot!"

"Alright then." Kazehana flashed through handseals. "Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!"

"Suiton: Teppōdama!"

"Doton: Doryūheki!" Tsubame slammed her palms onto the ground, a thick wall of earth sprouting from the ground in response to defend her from the double elemental assault that flew toward her.

The first drop of sweat rolled down her face as the fireball smashed into the wall, sending streamers of flame licking around the edge of her earthen wall. Another drop followed as half a dozen water orbs pounded on the wall.

'Hold strong, hold strong, hold strong!' She chanted mentally as she pumped chakra into the wall in anticipation of the next duo of attacks.

Her friends didn't disappoint her.

"Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu!"

"Suiton: Teppōdama!"

The sweat began to pour now as he focused her chakra into the spot her friends her friends were concentrating their attacks on. Yet, even with her best efforts, she could feel the wall being pulled apart under the continuous barrage until she had no choice but to dive away as the wall came down.

"Three minutes and twenty six minutes!" A Naruto-clone yelled from somewhere behind her. "Great try Tsu-chan!"

"Thanks." She grinned as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Whose turn is it?"

"Mine!" Kazehana whooped. "Let's do this!"

"Okay, just so you remember," Naruto grinned at her, "you don't have any defensive elements and since we haven't learnt anything outside our elements yet, you have to stick with the old saying."

"The best offense is a good defense!" The redhead smiled as she flashed through handseals. "Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!"

Naruto and Tsubame immediately sprang apart, both jumping so that they could begin their own attacks only to see that the redhead was gone.

"B2B!" Tsubame shouted as she ran back toward her blond teammate. "She used the fireball to-"

"Distract us long enough for her to use a genjutsu to hide herself from our sight." Naruto finished as they met up again. "Cover me while I try to find her!"

Tsubame just nodded as she also tried to catch a hint of her friend. Nothing. She could not see the slightest waver of light nor could she hear a twig snap.

Just as Anko had taught them.

"Fūton: Reppūshō!"

—~ ~—

"Ugh!" Kazehana groaned as she was hurled back by the wind that blasted out of Naruto's palm. Twisting through the air, she brought her feet up and managed to land on a tree branch. Then, without wasting a second, she kept on pumping chakra to the soles of her feet until she blasted right back toward her blond teammate, going through handseals as she went.

"Raiton: Raikyū!"

The ball of lightning shot out from her hand toward Naruto who was caught flatfooted.

It tore right through him.

'Shit!' Kazehana cursed as she mentally kicked herself. Not for supposedly killing her friend though. The Raikyū was a stalling technique that shorted out an an enemy's nervous system. She doubted if she could use it to kill even if she put all her chakra into it.

No, she was currently berating herself for forgetting about her Kaguya friend.

While she was undoubtedly the best at using genjutsu in their team, Tsubame was only about two steps behind her. As such, in her blind rush to take out Naruto, she had forgotten one of the main lessons Anko had given her when she began her extra genjutsu training:

 _Always remember, Hana-chan, a very skilled genjutsu user can defeat any foe short of a trained Uchiha, Hyūga or a jinchūriki._

'I may be more knowledgeable than Tsu-chan but she's definitely better at applying her skills in a fight than I.'

As the ground rushed up to meet her, she tucked herself into a ball and rolled with the impact of landing. Without even a flinch at the feel of stones grating into her back, she blasted off the ground, flying toward a tree. With a quick application of chakra and the agility Anko and Yūgao had all but beaten into them she twisted midair and struck the tree feet-first and stuck to it.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings Hana-chan..." Naruto's voice whispered mockingly.

Without a second of hesitation, she spun around, her right hand curled into a fist while her left dipped into her kunai pouch to pull one of the blunted ones they had loaded up with before beginning their training.

As she'd expected, the blond was able to dodge the first but he never anticipated the swift, follow up slash that smacked him in the rib.

Instead of pressing her advantage, though, the redheaded girl jumped off the tree and landed in a low crouch, ready for any attack.

"Doton: Tsuchi no yari!"

Her crimson eyes widened when she heard the jutsu her friend had just called out and was just quick enough to roll to their right just before a sleek brown blur would have smacked into her shoulder.

"Suiton:"

'Give me a break!' She growled mentally as she steadied herself. Throwing her kunai into the air, her hands instantly began the string of handseals needed for a jutsu of her own.

"-Teppōdama!" Naruto finished a good second before she did, sending off half a dozen water orbs at her.

"Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu!" She yelled back, breathing seven fireballs into existence.

The two attacks clashed for a few seconds before both canceled each other out, releasing a cloud of smoke until the final fireball smashed into the spot beside Naruto.

In the mean time, Kazehana had grabbed her kunai out of the air and was now engaged in a taijutsu match against Tsubame.

'She's better than me at taijutsu.' The redhead noted as she parried a diagonal slash from the Kaguya. 'I need to get some space.'

With that in mind, she dropped below a horizontal slash and lashed out with a sweeping kick that connected, much to her delight.

"Impressive." Anko's voice rang out from the shadows of the trees. "You're getting better at thinking on your feet Kazehana but you still have to work on your environmental awareness. You're pretty much the genjutsu specialist on the team so you should have known the instant Tsubame cast that genjutsu."

"Got it." She nodded as she helped her silver haired friend up.

"Good. Tsubame, great plan combining you and Whiskers' skills like that. Props for the speed at forming the plan. And Whiskers, nice job finding Hana when she cloaked herself in that genjutsu. And you're getting faster at delivering your ninjutsu too."

"Thanks sensei." The blond smiled. "So, you get anything from Hatake-san?"

Anko walked out of the forest with a small frown. "Yeah. And it ain't pretty."

"What's wrong?" Tsubame asked as they all focused on the purple haired jōnin.

"Zabuza has a helper." Anko answered. "From what Kakashi explained, this guy is very skilled."

"How skilled?" Kazehana asked.

"Skilled enough to hit the precise pressure point at the base of the neck that induces a deathlike state from at least fifty meters out." Anko stated. "With a senbon."

"Fuck." Naruto cursed softly. "We're dealing with at least mid-chūnin skill there."

"Exactly." Anko nodded as she took up the opening stance to her variant of the Hebi Ken. "As such, I'm going to up your training. Attack me when you're ready and do not hold back because you damn well know that this mystery opponent won't."

The three moved into their own stances as well: Naruto into the opening of his Nagareru Ken; Tsubame into the opening of her Kaguya-modified Hung-Ga and Kazehana into the opening of the original Northern Shaolin Kung Fu.

"Bring it on sensei!"

—~ ~—

Watching from his perch on the roof, Kakashi arched his visible eyebrow over his book as he watched his backup jōnin act as a support for her laughing but extremely tired looking genin.

'They look more like a family than a shinobi team.' He mused. 'A really long way from my ragtag team. No wonder Sandaime-sama ensured that they remained on the same team.'

Closing his book with a snap, he jumped off the roof and landed in front of Anko. "Yo!"

"S'up Cyclops? Whoa!" Anko staggered and swayed under the weight of her team. Kazehana was on her back while Naruto and Tsubame wobbled about by her side. "Help me with one of them will ya?"

Though his mask made it difficult to see, Kakashi had an amused smile on as he lifted Tsubame and shifted her to his back before standing closer so that Naruto could wrap an arm around his waist for support. "Why didn't you just use kage bunshin?"

"I did." Anko sighed in relief. "They dispelled about a hundred meters back."

"Ah. Well then, I might as well lead you in to meet the rest of the family."

"Thanks. How's the bod?"

"Much better thank you." Kakashi smiled, his single visible eye taking on its familiar u-shape as they walked into the house. "Tsunami-san! I'm in. And I brought some friends, how you don't mind."

"Welcome back Hatake-san!" A woman's voice echoed out from one of the rooms. "I'm in the kitchen now so I can't see meet them for now. I'll see what I can squeeze out for them. How many did you bring?"

"Tell her not to bother about us. We brought supplies of our own." Anko whispered to him.

Kakashi smiled at Anko. "Four, Tsunami-san and they offerer to come aid you in the kitchen with the supplies they brought along."

Anko's eyes bugged out before she managed to rein in her irritation. "You know I'm going to kill you when this is all over right?"

The silver haired jōnin just shrugged. "I could have told you but seeing your reaction was so much better. Its not like you wouldn't have offered later right?"

"That you're right doesn't mean I won't kill you when I get the chance."

Kakashi jerked his head in a direction, indicating that she should follow him. "Isn't threatening your fellow shinobi with death a punishable offense?"

"Not if I fuck you to death." Anko replied with a cheeky grin.

Watching Kakashi stumble about, sputtering in shock, made the purple haired jōnin's day.

—~ ~—

"Wow Tsun-tsun, this is really super!" Tazuna complimented as he went through the food on his plate.

Seated opposite her father, the dark blue haired woman blushed amidst mouthfuls. "Tou-san! I'm grown up now dammit!" Ignoring the slight snickers that came from the two jōnin seated by her side, she glared at her father. "Anyways, if you didn't bury your head in your workshop you'd have known that Mitarashi-san was the one who helped me with the supplies."

Tazuna grinned at Anko. "Aha! I knew you were a super lady! Right from when I first met you!"

"You mean when you were super scared?" Anko smirked at the man who just ignored her jibe and continued eating.

Amongst the younger diners, team seven was awfully quiet as they ate while team nine, having given up on trying to cheer a certain brooding brat, discussed some of the worst shit that had happened during their string of D-ranked missions.

"You're all gonna die."

The boisterous table went quiet as a graveyard at the softly spoken comment.

"You're all gonna die." The youngest at the table repeated.

"Says who?" Naruto asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Says the proof!" The boy yelled back. Turning a furious yet pained glare onto Kakashi, the boy's finger pointed at him. "You think that by dragging in another four people you'll make this much better? You think Gatō doesn't have more? Well he does! He has an army! Some of the most wicked people around. They will kill you just like they killed him!"

At this point, the boy's finger was pointing at a man in a picture.

Naruto didn't bother to study the picture intensely before returning to his food. "You know, you're quite the annoying brat. Not to mention a big coward."

Kakashi and Anko arched their eyebrows at the blond's unusual statement.

The boy attempted to sputter something out but Naruto cut him off by continuing.

"Here we are, risking our lives to save your village, your fellow villagers and your family yet all you can do is yell about how stupidly suicidal we are. At least whoever you're pointing at most likely stood up to Gato. You're just sitting here, eating really good food and whining like a bitch."

"What do you know?!" The boy roared back. "How can you understand? You're the spoilt brat here! You've got a mom and dad back home, good food, a home! You've never had to worry about the next day because you have those who will provide for you!"

The room was utterly silent, everyone's eyes locked onto the blond who just finished his mouthful.

Leaning back on his chair, Naruto glared at the boy. "Congratulations. You have just proven that you really are an annoying brat. Shut up." Naruto snapped as he opened his mouth. "You've had your turn. Now, you said I'm the spoilt brat right? I've got a mom and dad who provide? I wish."

The atmosphere in the room seemed to drop below into the negative as Naruto began to speak.

"I never knew my mom or my dad. They died the day I was born. I was hated in the orphanage I stayed in and the only friends I had are my teammates. I rarely ate more than once a day before I was seven and I was only so lucky because of Tsu-chan and Hana-chan. I only got to know what family could be like when I was seven. Those three-" he stabbed a finger toward the members of team seven who visibly flinched. "were my classmates in the Academy yet they barely know more than my surname. So, no. You were wrong. I've had to worry about who's gonna provide for me from the day I was born until I was seven. I'm out here, trying to protect _your_ grandfather and _your_ mom. I'm risking _my_ life as are my teammates and fellow shinobi to ensure that your village is free from a tyrant. Even if you can't be a fucking hero like the man you pointed at the least you could do is to not downplay the fact that we are sacrificing our lives for your village."

With that said, the blond pushed his chair back, picked up his plate and stood up. "Thank you for the meal, Tsunami-san, Tazuna-san. Sensei, I have something yourself and Hatake-san must hear.

He left the table.

For the next ten minutes the dining room was absolutely silent, save for the clinking sounds of cutlery hitting ceramic plates.

Then the boy, having finished his food and saying his thanks to his mother and grandfather, walked out as well.

Finally getting her voice back, Tsunami stuttered out an apology to the jōnin who simply waved it off, claiming that young Inari (as his mother called him) had only spoken in a fit of emotion.

"Well then, let's go meet Whiskers." Anko stated as she slid her plate over to Kazehana. "Clean that for me will ya?"

Sasuke instantly stood up, his chair nearly tipping over until Sakura secured it for him. "I'm coming."

Kakashi seemed ready to say something but Anko cut him off. "Like hell you are brat. Whiskers asked to see me and the Cyclops. No more, no less."

"Whiskers is an idiotic dead-last." The raven haired boy scoffed. "Besides, I am an elite Uchiha. I have the right to hear anything you can."

"Show me your jōnin jacket and then you can." Anko shrugged as she turned away from the last Uchiha. "Until then, my answer remains the same. Get your ass up Cyclops."

—~ ~—

"Yo sensei." Naruto greeted from his perch on the windowsill. "Took ya."

"You're not the only one that had to deal with an annoying brat." Anko replied as she flopped onto the bed.

"I was wondering why Sasuke stormed out of the building." Naruto chuckled.

"Sasuke's had things go his way too much, especially since the Massacre." Kakashi sighed as he walked in and sat on the single chair beside the bed. "He's gotten used to always being his way."

"Your being a lazy bastard didn't help things either." Anko answered bluntly.

"So, Naruto, why are we here?" The masked shinobi asked, swiftly dodging the question Anko had asked.

"I know what Gato's really here for." The blond stated with all hints of humor leaving, replaced by a calmly professional façade.

'Kami, Anko!' Kakashi thought with a small smile. 'You definitely seem to be doing a great job on them.'

"What's he here for?" Anko asked seriously.

"Relics." Naruto replied bluntly. "From the memories I've sorted out, I believe Gatō's shipping industry is a front. He's into drug dealing and smuggling as far as I could find."

"What's that got to do with these relics?" Anko asked.

"And how do you know these things?" Kakashi added with a small frown.

Naruto glanced at Anko who gave a small nod in return. "Liberal usage of kage bunshin and a uniquely solid henge."

"Solid henge?" Kakashi was utterly confused about that. The henge was a simple genjutsu. It didn't actually transform the user into the object of disguise... Did it?

"We'll explain later and no, we don't understand how it's possible." Anko cut in brusquely. "The relics, Whiskers."

"Right. Well, I believe that somehow, Gatō got wind of some important village that was once situated on one of the island's around here. Considering the fact that it was a shinobi village, he returned here with the intention of finding and unearthing whatever he found to be sold at a later date." Naruto replied.

"That's why he hit Nami first." Anko said as understanding began to dawn on her face. "He stripped it of any resources and locked it from the rest of the world so that he'd be able to search as extensively as he felt like without any repercussions from other authorities."

Kakashi nodded grimly. "It all seems right, when put like that."

Naruto stood up and stretched. "Well, that's what I got for no- UGH!"

The jōnin were instantly beside the staggering blond as he massaged his temples.

"You okay?" Anko asked as she laid him onto the bed.

"Yeah..." Naruto groaned as he worked to sort out the information from the clones that had just dispelled. "Gimme a minute please."

Anko nodded and sat on the bed while Kakashi returned to the chair.

"What happened to him?"

"His clones just dispelled and so he was hit by an information feedback." Anko replied. "We need to be quiet while he assimilates the memories."

Kakashi acquiesced to her request and watched as the strained creases on the blond's face smoothened out.

"Oh fuck." Naruto swore as he sat up. "Things just got worse."

"How?"

"Gatō has a two small garrison on the far end of the island, each holding about a hundred men. They've already begun excavation and have found a small stash of scrolls. He also knows the exact location of the old village." Naruto answered. "The real problem, though, is that he's moved one garrison closer to the village. He plans on storming the bridge during our fight with Zabuza to ensure the death of all that ate there."

"So, he plans to have Zabuza kill us and the bridge builder before stabbing Zabuza in the back by killing him." Anko summarized. "Typical back stabbing bastard."

"That sums it up." Kakashi stated. "The question now is what to do."

"I don't get it." Naruto shook his head.

"Do we kill Gatō's men now and face off against Zabuza later? Or do we act like we know nothing of these plans?" Anko explained. "Call in the others. Including Kakashi's team."

Naruto nodded and walked to the door before remembering something. "Sasuke's not here."

Anko shrugged. "That's his problem."

"So," Kakashi started as Naruto stepped out of the room, "mind explaining what you meant by solid henge?"

"I meant just that Cyclops." Anko shrugged again. "His transformations are solid. Or, put in another way, he literally transforms into whatever he wants to within reason."

"How? And what do you mean by 'within reason?"

"How? No clue. To the second answer, I mean that he can change his appearance to look like any living thing within a certain range. Far as we know, he can transform into a body as big as Chōza Akimichi or as small as a mouse. He can't do anything beyond what he is capable of so he can't stretch his arm out ten feet or any such shit."

"And his body weight actually changes?" Kakashi asked.

"I'll have him give a little private demonstration." Anko replied. "But you cannot tell anyone else. Not even your team."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. If knowledge of an ability like this got out, Naruto could end up suffering more than he already did. "But what about inanimate objects?"

"Almost the same thing." Anko answered. "Although, for some reason, he can't transform into an object of greater mass than his own body. When he tried, he ended up taking the object's appearance but on a much smaller scale."

The door opened and the blond returned with the four girls in tow.

"Sit." Kakashi gestured to the bed. "Some things have come up and we would like to hear your opinion."

After that, Anko explained the information Naruto had shared and the dilemma they currently faced.

Sakura looked utterly lost and Kuno seemed to be hanging on to understanding by a thread.

The females of team nine, however, were deep in thought.

"The options we have are split in two, with further options under them." Kazehana stated. "We either attack or we don't."

Tsubame nodded and continued. "If we choose to attack, we have three options: attack the farthest garrison, attack the closest garrison or attack both simultaneously.

"If we choose not to attack, we have two options: do absolutely nothing or find Zabuza and convince him of Gatō's intentions."

Kuno, at this point where the likely options were laid bare was able to grasp what they said and finally added her own input: "If we attack either garrison, won't the other know?"

"That's just one of the main issues." Tsubame stated. "The most important variable is Zabuza. Or rather, _when_ Zabuza will strike."

"Go on." Kakashi prodded. Watching Anko's team at work, even though they were just strategizing, was impressive but what truly caught his attention was Kuno.

The young, blue haired girl was generally quiet except when her loyalty to a certain Uchiha was attacked so seeing her say something... intelligent... It made him rethink his opinion of his team. 'Maybe there's some hope after all...'

"I think I understand what Tsubame is saying." Naruto spoke. "The timing is everything. If we attack now, without knowing when Zabuza will strike, we could leave ourselves open to a blisteringly fast and strong attack from him. Yet, if we delay, we could end up falling right into Gatō's plan."

"What about a total wipeout of the farthest camp just before daybreak tomorrow?" Kuno asked.

"Plausible..." Naruto hummed. "But what if Gatō has reason to head toward that camp?"

"Your henge'd clones." Kazehana answered. "Just get your current clones into position so we have an idea as regards things like passwords into the camp and all that."

"What about the second garrison?" Naruto asked.

"We let them continue." Tsubame answered. "If we kill them now then it would inadvertently spook Gatō and we'll lose his trail amidst the madness of that fight."

"Would that really work?" Kuno asked. "I mean, what if something goes wrong in our attack of the garrison?"

"We'll figure it out." Anko smiled. "I'm very impressed with you guys. You managed to come up with a very intelligent plan."

"Anko is right." Kakashi added. "However we need to discuss some things. As such, we will need privacy."

Taking the hint, the genin all greeted the jōnin good night and walked out, Kuno, being the last, shutting the door after herself.

"So, what's our game plan?"

—~ ~—

And that's a wrap on this chapter.

Now, to Sōtaichō:

First off, thanks for the badass review! That's the kinda thing I need in this here story of mine.

Next, I'm truly sorry about not replying sooner. Simply put, my phone was stolen and when I got a new one, I was so focused on getting out a new chapter that I forgot to reply to your review.

Now, you asked why Naruto and Team Nine have two sensei instead of one. Well, my reasoning, and I believe I hinted at this sometime during the first team meeting in chapter 6, is that the Konoha Twelve is basically THE most important group to have graduated at once. Two out of the four teams are completely loaded with clan heirs, one has the two last members of highly acclaimed clans and the last team has the prodigy/future head of the Hyūga branch family.

That kind of graduating set is bound to have Konoha's enemies licking their chops and so what better way to avoid future shit from hitting the fan than giving them all round badasses as sensei?

The only difference between canon and Altered is that there is a fifth team. With the other team's having their canon sensei and neither Anko nor Yūgao being given any major rank in canon, I decided that having both come together to train team nine would be sufficient to protect them in case of shit hitting the fan.

Now, I've jumped up the timeline a little to bring up the action-y parts. Hope that was okay. I'll bring up scenes like Tsubame knowing about her family and receiving the scroll later in flashback format.

Oh, and you asked if team nine weren't too powerful for few week old genin. Well, they're simply being trained. If you look at the canon characters, once they were ACTUALLY trained, they grew in leaps and bounds. Sasuke, who in a month, gained speeds nearing Weighted-Lee is just an example. So, while they may seem overly strong, they aren't up to, say, team Samui of Kumo and they're just below team Gai. Their real strength shines when they fight as a team.

And y'all better not bring up the fight in the previous chapters. The chūnin they faced underestimated them, a flaw a shinobi should never have, which granted them the upper hand.

Okay, I also got a PM from a person (ain't telling you guys) asking about the whole 'line of Manda' thing. The way I see it, since Orochimaru is to the snakes what Jiraiya is to the toads, I feel that he has a greater control over the summoning contract. As such, seeing how Manda is the boss snake, any snake related to him would be near-royalty and much more powerful than the regular snakes. So, in order to avoid being discovered, Orochimaru would simply have blocked Anko off from the royal snakes, giving himself exclusive access to the more powerful summons while his former apprentice would only have access to the less powerful summons.

As to the snake hierarchy, think of Manda's lineage as being similar to that of the Hyūga main house and the regulars being the branch house members.

Hopefully that clears things up.

As usual,

Read & Review Please.

The Ethereal Lord.


	13. Chapter 12

To firebird: Sorry bout that little mix up. I meant Asuma Sarutobi. Trust me, I know that Asuma's team 10's sensei. Also, according to wiki, Team Gai was referred to as team three. So, Naruto remains on team nine.

To your final review, I personally believe that Naruto (in the summary) stating that his past had to be 'altered' pretty much sealed the fact that it was a time travel story. The difference here is that future Naruto doesn't grow younger 'while maintaining his skills' he effectively removes himself from the timeline, allowing his younger self to grow again.

As for this story being an AU story, well, I believe AU means Alternate Universe. As such, any story that ISNT canon Naruto is an AU story. You can, as a writer, only write a fic that ISNT AU by rewriting the entire Naruto story without any changes.

Hope that clears things up but if it remains a pressing issue, I will add it to the summary.

 _ **Chapter 12**_

The world was quiet as three figures moved through the dark.

Silently, stealthily. As at home in the darkness of the nighttime forest as in the light of day.

Their target was equally quiet, emitting nought but the occasional snore and the crackle of a dying campfire.

One stopped two meters to the edge of the camp while the others went on to the border between camp and forest.

The first one moved in.

Sidling through the camp, the figure was the shadow of death, the pale moonlight reflecting off the long, slim poison-carrying metals that flew from its hands and embedded itself into the bodies of its targets.

Upon reaching the other end of the camp, the first breathed out a small stream of fire. It barely extended four inches from its mouth buy in the nighttime, it was as clear as any full blown torch.

The second moved into action, fingers blurring through handseals before slamming both palms on the Earth.

"Doton: Doryūgadan!"

The Earth rumbled in response and, quicker than the slumbering men within the tents could arise, fang-shaped spikes burst out of the ground, impaling the targets as surely and thoroughly as any Akimichi grilled kebab.

Flashing through a new set of seals, the second figure slammed both palms against the ground again.

"Doton: Tsuchi no Nami!"

With shocking swiftness, the Earth answered the call and from the Eastern end of the camp, a huge wave of soil lifted itself and fell over to the West, burying every evidence of a camp ever being there unless a curious person were to dig.

Walking out into the center of the now bare clearing, the moonlight shone down clearly, illuminating the figure.

Wearing an all black ensemble of trousers, long sleeved shirt and mesh under shirt, the most prominent accessory on him (for the moonlight revealed that it could only be a male) was the white porcelain mask he wore, painted with the design of a dog.

Appearing beside him was the first figure to attack the hapless camp.

Pale silver moonlight revealed a very feminine figure with short hair wearing what could be a skirt beneath an open trenchcoat that waved softly in the gentle night wind. Unlike her male partner, she only had a cloth mask pulled up to rest on the bridge of her nose, covering her mouth and cheeks.

Emerging from the forest was the third of these nocturnal hunters.

Standing at almost a foot shorter than the first male, this one wore black pants with an undershirt and a black jacket over it. Like the woman, the lower half of his face was covered by a mask.

"You placed the sound suppression seals as I asked?" The tall male asked.

The younger pulled out a few slips of paper from his pocket. "And I took them down as soon as you finished. As you asked."

"Good." The female stated curtly. "Now, finish the mission."

A multitude of men, bearing the exact looks of the recently killed, walked out of the forest, bearing tents and other camping materials. With quick efficiency, they had set up an exact replica of the camp that had been here sans the grass.

"Alright." The shorter male spoke up. "Remember the plan: my clones will dispel at intervals to keep you updated. You'll only dispel if you have to say something important, got it?"

"Got it boss." One of the men replied in a gruff voice.

"Good." The woman nodded before turning to her partners. "Let's go."

With that, they faded back into the forest as silently as they had first arrived...

—~ ~—

The pale golden rays of the morning sun streamed through the window, illuminating the smallish room and it's sole occupant.

On the bed beside the window, Naruto lay, sprawled out on the mattress with an arm propping his head up while his head swung about lazily.

"... creating matrix storage seals is a bit more complex than simple storage seals because I'll have to divide the storage's pocket dimension into individual 'chambers', all with 'doors' facing outward, pointing at the seal entry. Wait. Is that even a remotely good analogy to use? Dammit. Sensei says this is vital to breaking into the advanced stages of fūinjutsu but I'm pretty damned sure he's using that as a crap-assed excuse for him to go do some 'research'. And it doesn't help that Kushina-chan is rubbing in the fact that she's already an adept at fūinjutsu, snooty Ms. 'I was born in the village that specializes in fūinjutsu. Of course I'd be better than you, Minato-chan.' Ugh!"

"Blondie!" Tsubame yelled just before belly-flopping onto the bed. "Whatcha doing?"

"Tsu-chan." Naruto rolled onto his back and held the slightly ragged looking journal out for her to see. "Just reading. Where's Hana-chan?"

"She's with Tsunami-san." Tsubame replied idly as she scanned the first few pages of the journal she held. "Since we're on home guard duty, Hana and I decided to help Tsunami-san clean the house. I'm taking an early break here."

The room was quiet as the silver haired girl continued to flip through the journal.

"Blondie, what is this?"

"That, my dear, is the personal journal of Namikaze Minato." Naruto answered. "It contains his primary notes on fūinjutsu back when he was starting out."

"How... How did you get this?"

"Turns out Hatake-san was the student of the Yondaime as a genin and when he expressed interest in the sealing arts, the Yondaime gave him this journal." Naruto answered. "To complete the mission earlier today, Hatake-san made a batch of sound suppression seals. I guess he noticed how intrigued I was so, after clearing it up with sensei, he unsealed this and gave it to me. Said it was more of my rightful property than his."

"Cool..." She gently shut the journal and handed it back to him. "Naruto?"

The blond, who was just about to continue his perusal of the journal, looked up and found himself staring right into his friend's steel gray eyes. He knew that whatever she was about to say would be serious as she never called him by name except in such situations. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to learn fūinjutsu?"

He took a deep breath before letting it out softly. He had once been torn on this matter. He wanted to have nothing to do with the arts that had made his life a living corner of hell yet he also wanted to honor his maternal family. This conflict had gone on for quite a while until he came to his decision.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm gonna learn fūinjutsu." Naruto sighed. "Doubt if mom would have wanted it any other way."

—~ ~—

'Nineteen... Twenty!' Sasuke grunted before flipping off the branch he'd been doing crunches on to land on the ground. He took in a few breaths before launching himself into a series of complex looking kata designed explicitly for use by sharingan wielders. The Interceptor Fist.

On the inside, however, the last loyal Uchiha was in turmoil.

'What did she mean by that?' He thought to himself as the frustration of not having the answers he needed spurred his boy into moving faster, completing kata after kata with mindless efficiency. 'How the hell does 'protecting my precious people' give me strength?'

—~FLASHBACK~—

 _"The time has come Itachi!" Sasuke yelled as he blew out multiple fireballs at the man he had once seen as his brother. 'You will pay for what you did to Kaa-san and Tou-san!'_

"Ninja-san!"

 _'Foolish little brother.' Itachi sneered as he dodged the fireballs and returned fire with a large stream of his own fire. 'The clan was flawed and it was your fault! You made us weak! How else could one man have defeated the great Uchiha?'_

"Ninja-san!"

 _'Lies!' Sasuke roared as he closed the gap between himself and his sworn enemy, foot lashing out in a kick to the ribs. 'You were ordered? The clan flawed? My fault? Stand up and take responsibility you coward!'_

"Ninja-san!"

 _The battle continued, Sasuke pushing Itachi back until, with a burst of speed, the older of the two zipped behind the younger and stuck a flaming fist through his chest._

 _'Too weak otouto.' Itachi's sneer was cut off when the Sasuke in his arms disappeared and his arms snapped to his side, ensnared in sturdy ninja wire._

 _'Too foolish aniki!' Sasuke spat venomously through the strings attached to his teeth. 'Katon: Ryūka!'_

 _The fire sped along the lines but, just before they could touch the traitorous bastard, the world shattered like fragile glass dropped from atop a table._

—~ ~—

The instant Sasuke felt a hand touch him, he acted.

His left hand dropped into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai while his right instinctively sought out the person's throat. Once grabbed, he spun around and slammed the offender into the ground he just vacated, kunai pressed firmly to her throat, ready to kill.

Wait.

Her?

The adrenaline rushing to his brain finally backed off just a bit, allowing him to look at his 'attacker.'

Long, black hair that, in an odd way, reminded him of his mom (and, weirdly enough, Tsunami who could pass as his mom's sister), with two bangs framing the face, beautiful but very scared brown eyes and pale skin covered by a pink kimono-thing (he wasn't sure what to call it).

Realization snapped in, entwined with the memories of the night before.

'Oh shit!... I left the house after that crazy bitch woman insulted me... I came out here and overtrained... I must have slept off... Dear Kami! She's just a civilian!'

Instantly, the kunai disappeared from her throat and he jumped away from her. "Oh my... I mean, I... Well... I'm-"

'Dammit, why can't I just say it?' Sasuke thought as he watched the girl back up and cough harshly. 'Why can't I just say sorry?'

Well, the issue here was that after the death of every one in his clan, he had been elevated to such a high standing that he was just a few rungs away from being more popular than the clan heads. No one questioned him and no one expected apologies from him.

All that preferential treatment had really taken a sledgehammer to the morals Mikoto had built into him.

Or, in simpler terms, he considered apologizing as being beneath him.

Yeah. He was an asshole like that.

Deciding to try again, he spoke up. "I really didn't mean to do that but I'm a shinobi so that kind of reaction is practically instinctive."

"It-" the girl coughed again, a little softer this time, "it's alright shinobi-san. I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep but it seemed very cold and I could see your body beginning to shiver."

"Tha- I appreciate that." Sasuke said with a slow a small nod to her before dropping back to the ground. "What were you doing out here..."

"Haku." The girl, picking up on his unasked question answered with a sweet smile. "And I'm here to pick some flowers for my father-figure."

"Father-figure?" Sasuke asked, confused by her reply. "And what does he need with flowers?"

"Oh... well my true parents are dead." Haku replied sadly.

"Oh... Um..." Again, the raven haired boy found it difficult to say the magic word.

"Its no problem, shinobi-san. I mean, they've been gone for so long that most of the pain has died down. Guess it just flared up again, you know, because they were my parents." Haku shrugged. "Anyway, I learnt from obaa-san how to create medicinal salves from flowers and most plants. Father needs them because he was hurt a while back."

"Oh..."

They were silent for a while as the sun rose and shed its light on the little clearing, Haku tenderly picking her flowers and Sasuke... Well Sasuke was thinking... Y'know, Sasuke thoughts. Murder, vengeance and repopulating his clan. Those thoughts.

Haku then stood up, her basket full of carefully selected flowers, and turned to Sasuke.

"Why do you fight, shinobi-san?"

Sasuke's head snapped up. "What?"

"I asked why you fight."

"Well... I..." Sasuke paused. Should he tell this stranger his reason for fighting? Screw it. It wasn't like she would ever meet him again. "I fight to avenge my clan. A man killed them and I have sworn to kill him myself."

Haku was quiet for a moment and then she spoke up. "My father always told me something. It is why I have never forgotten my parents even though it sometimes hurts to do so. He said to me, 'of all the reasons and desires to fight and grow stronger, the greatest and most powerful of these is the desire to protect that which is precious to you. When you fight to protect those you love, those who are precious to you, you gain more strength than you ever could.' I think you should try to follow this."

With that, she left.

—~FLASHBACK ENDS~—

It was now over five hours since she had left him yet Sasuke struggled for an answer.

'She said that her father's words were what helped her to never forget him. Maybe that's what she means?'

He stopped shadow sparring and walked to the base of a tree to relax.

'If I had any precious people at all, they'd be mom, dad, Harribel-nee and Apache-nee.' He thought. 'They're dead now, but what if I fight to protect their memories? Itachi has sullied their legacies by killing them so maybe I can clear things up by taking him out.'

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He could do as Haku said without posing sight of Itachi. He could be an avenger and a protector.

'Yeah... That's definitely what I'll do.'

—~ ~—

"Oh come on Kuno!" Kazehana shouted as she watched her fellow kunoichi stumble around in exhaustion. "I'm not even breathing hard!"

And that was true. Even after fifteen minutes of 'sparring' with the blonde genin, the redhead looked as fresh as when they had started out.

"What the hell... kinda training... have you been through?" Kuno wheezed as she dropped onto her ass. "I called you out... so we could spar... and I feel like I just ran... around the village twice... after fifteen minutes!"

"The same kind of training all genin go through." Kazehana replied. That was a bit of a lie though. 'Anko-sensei told us from the beginning that our training wasn't going to be like regular genin's training. No need to tell her that though.'

"Well... My sensei probably skipped out on that part reading those orange books of his." Kuno said as her breathing regulated itself. "We've been working on 'teamwork' training."

"Well, that's very important." The redhead shrugged. "So, you guys work very well as a team?"

"Ha! I wish!" The blonde scoffed. "Sasuke barely talks to us and Sakura hangs on his every twitch. At least I try to hit the Academy gym once a week to ensure that I'm still okay in the physical area. Teamwork requires a team right?"

Kazehana nodded and Kuno smiled sadly. "Team seven is a team in name only."

The redhead winced. "Ouch. Guess I got it better in that regard. At least Naruto, Tsubame and I were already close friends before this."

"Lucky you guys."

They remained quiet for a while, allowing the sun's rays, diffused through the cloudy sky, to shine on them as they lay beside each other in the grass.

"Look, Kuno, I know your little lunch break will soon be over so you need to eat but can I quickly say something?"

"Gee... You couldn't have said it while you just rambled?" Kuno asked.

"Sarcasm duly noted." Kazehana stated. "Didn't know you had it in you. Anyway, my suggestion for you is that you train really hard and get better. The better you are, the faster your promotion to chūnin and, subsequently, your removal from team seven."

"Way to improve team spirit."

"From what you said there is no team spirit." Kazehana shot back. "Can't improve what doesn't exist."

"True..."

—~ ~—

"Well, our gambit worked to our favour." Anko stated as she finished her dinner. "The support camp's out so Gatō's only got one team of mercs to call on."

"Yeah." Naruto nodded between mouthfuls. "They don't suspect anything yet."

"By my estimates, Zabuza will show up tomorrow." Kakashi added, his plate already emptied. "I suggest that we leave one or two people here to guard Tsunami and Inari."

"Yeah." Anko nodded. "Gatō's a slimebag. He won't be above trying to use them as bargaining chips in case we defeat Zabuza before he gets there. I suggest Whiskers from my team."

"Hmm..." Kakashi mused. "I guess he'll have to do. We'll need everyone else at the bridge. Your girls and Sasuke can take on that hunter-nin while Kuno and Sakura protect Tazuna-san."

"Works for me." Tsubame shrugged.

"Same here." Kazehana added. "Come on Tsu, let's get the dishes for Tsunami-san."

With that, both girls cleared their dishes as well as those of the adults and headed over to the kitchen.

"Thank you." Tsunami said to them as they walked by. Turning back to the jōnin at the table, her face split into a small smile. "And thank you too. For everything."

"It's our job." Anko shrugged as she slapped Naruto upside his skull. "Manners."

Mumbling a quick apology, the blond slowed his eating pace to a more humane speed.

"Actually, it isn't." Tazuna said with a sigh. "I know what your job is. I paid for it after all. This is more than I paid you for. Thank you."

"No problem." Kakashi smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Anko and I need to plan what we're going to do tomorrow."

With that, they left, leaving the table in uncomfortable silence.

Inari still seemed conflicted within himself and the four remaining genin pointedly ignored each other.

Or, more precisely, Sakura and Kuno ignored Naruto, Naruto, playing the role of the idiot, seemingly ignored the members of team seven and Sasuke ignored the universe itself.

That pretty much sums it up.

—~ ~—

Naruto stretched out on the bed as he felt his mind awaken. Glancing out the window he could see that the sun had just begun to rise.

'The others must be at the bridge already.' He thought as he felt his mind assimilate the memories of the clones he'd had training through the night into himself.

'I love kage bunshin.' He grinned as he rolled out of bed. 'Morning Kyūbi.'

'You really are an annoying human, you know that?' The sealed bijū asked, its tone laced with irritation.

'Gee, thought you'd have figured that out after the first thirty times you asked.' Naruto shot back.

Just then, a distinctly feminine scream reached his ears.

'Tsunami-san!' Instantly, he sat on the ground in the lotus and focused his senses.

He could make out Tsunami's scent, sea water and jasmine, as well as Inari's sea water and mahogany but there were two strange scents as well, blood, alcohol and sword polish.

Not good.

Focusing harder, on his ears this time, he could make out snippets of the conversation going on.

"Leave her!"

"...your fighting you stupid bitch!"

"Touch the boy and I will bite my tongue off!"

"...fucking hell! She's serious!"

"Then leave the bastard! Gatō only needs her!"

That was all Naruto needed to hear for his mind to instantly come up with a plan.

Getting up, he walked up to the window in his room and climbed out. Attaching himself to the wall with his chakra, he stealthily made his way over to the entrance of the house and waited on the upper balcony.

A few minutes later, two men, both dressed in relatively clean outfits with swords strapped to their backs, dragged the dark-blue haired woman out.

They didn't get five feet from the door before they dropped, kunai jutting out from the back of their skulls.

"Tsunami-san!" He called out to the woman on her knees as he sprinted to her side. "Are you okay? I should have woken up earlier but my clones dispelled."

"I'm- I'm fine, Naruto." She breathed as she tried to push away the memories of the past twenty minutes. "I'm fine. Thank you for saving me."

"Mom!"

The shinobi and the mother turned to see Inari running over to them, a large chopping knife sticking out of the ground where he had left it. "You're okay mom!"

"Inari!" Tsunami hugged her son tightly, tears falling out of her eyes as she remembered how close she was to losing him.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu." A dozen clones appeared around them, two already transformed to look like the thugs while a third, after studying Tsunami's looks, transformed into her, beaten up looks and all. Immediately, the 'thugs' grabbed 'her' and dragged 'her' into the forest.

"Hey Inari." Naruto's hand clamped gently on the boy's shoulder as he pointed at the knife. "Nice to know you're not a coward."

"I... I just wanted to protect my mom." The boy sniffed.

"Yeah... And that's the mark of a true hero. A person who fights to protect others. Don't ever forget that." Naruto straightened up and looked toward the small part of the bridge he could see. "My clones will stand guard around the house. I'm going to the bridge. I suspect that the shit's hit the fan."

With that, Naruto ran back into the house to change.

—~ ~—

 _ **An Hour Ago**_

"Oh my..." Sakura gagged as her eyes fell on the sight before her.

They had arrived at the bridge, amidst tense silence, to meet a foggy shore. Now, as the fog rolled back, they could see clearly.

And it wasn't pretty.

The dismembered bodies of about half a dozen men lay scattered on the blood-soaked sand with another half dozen blackened and charred bodies strewn in between.

A viewer with an eagle-eyed perspective would have called it the macabre artwork of a deranged Joker.

"Stay alert." Kakashi warned as his hand grabbed onto the chokutō strapped onto his back as a lighter mist rolled in from all around. "Eyes wide open!"

He had gone the way of his ANBU days in terms of dressing and had his specially customized blade from his days as a captain among the elite forces out and ready.

Beside him, Anko held onto her kunai with each fist. She, unlike Kakashi, looked pretty much the same as any other day.

Soft footsteps echoed ominously around them until finally, the mist parted to reveal it's creator.

Or rather, creators.

To the left was a tall man without eyebrows. He wore a black, sleeveless shirt and baggy pants. Resting on his shoulders was a large sword.

To the right was a young figure with black hair and a hunter-nin mask. Senbon jutted out between its fingers and was already in a battle-ready stance.

In the middle though...

"Fuck." Anko swore as the third figure walked out.

It was a red-headed woman wearing a dark blue, long-sleeved shirt and lighter blue pants. Her wide grin showed her sharp, shark-like teeth, a trait Zabuza shared and in her hands she held two swords.

The Raikiba.

"Well, Zabuza-chan felt like evening the odds since you brought in a new player so he called me." The woman's grin grew as she bowed, sparks of lightning dancing around her body. "Ameyuri Ringo, wielder of the Raikiba and Mizu no Kuni's very own Kirigakure no Gekido at your service."

"How do we take this?" Kakashi asked.

"I'll take Zabuza." Anko stated. "You've got the lightning affinity so go tackle sparkle-pants. Brats, deal with the hunter-nin."

"You know we can hear you, right?" Ameyuri asked with an amused smile. "Kinda makes the whole 'making plans' thing redundant."

"Nah," Anko replied as she pulled out a scroll with one hand while biting the thumb of her right hand. "We were just making decisions. Plans are way more complicated."

Unrolling the scroll with a deft snap of her fingers, Anko channelled chakra through the bloody thumb and swiped the finger across the kanji stylized in the scroll. A huge cloud of smoke burst out, cloaking the presence of the Konoha team and making the missing-nin ready themselves.

The next instant, Kakashi flew out of the smokescreen, chokutō drawn and glowing with lightning chakra being channelled through it.

Just as his sword clashed with Ameyuri's raised cross-guard, another sword, a tantō, flew toward Zabuza who knocked it aside with the flat of his much larger blade. As it flew by, Anko lunged out of the smoke, a long chain held between her hands. With a small tug, she pulled the first sword back while flicking a second tantō attached to the opposite end of the chain, straight toward the hole in the larger sword.

The wielder of the large Executioner's blade shifted his sword to the side, again allowing the chained weapon to clang off the flat of his sword.

Undeterred, Anko pulled the blocked tantō back, grabbing it in a reverse grip, before lunging and Zabuza again, the second tantō swinging ominously behind her.

The fight had just begun.

—~ ~—

'Fuck training the Uchiha!' Kakashi thought with a growl as he was once again forced to leap back to avoid getting fried on the lightning bolts hid red-headed opponent was throwing at him. 'I'm getting my ass back in gear the instant we get out of this.'

As he landed, the silver-haired jōnin's fingers blurred through handseals. "Katon: Gōkakyu no jutsu!"

Not even bothering to watch the results of his jutsu, Kakashi instantly unlatched the weights around his wrists and ankles. Feeling much lighter, he took off, his lightning coated blade ripping the earth in his wake.

Jabbing his sword forward in a thrust, the jōnin cut the move off mid-thrust and spun around to his left aiming to slice off her head.

"Please tell me you didn't think that would work." Ameyuri drawled as she held him off with one of the Fangs.

"Nope." Kakashi smiled as he suddenly fell into the ground beneath him.

"Boring." Yawning, the redhead plunged her second Fang into the ground and channelled a burst of chakra through it that sent out a pulse of electrical chakra through the ground.

"Saw that coming." was Kakashi's cheeky reply as he appeared behind her, right before ramming a knee into her skull. As her head jerked forward, a second Hatake appeared in front of her and followed up with a brutal uppercut before dispelling.

"Katon: Karyū Endan!" The original chanted as he blew out a flaming dragon at the airborne kunoichi.

"Raiton: Rasen Boruto!"

The Konoha jōnin's eyes widened as he watched his chakra construct get blasted apart by equally large bolts of spiraling lightning. Only battle-hardened reflexes that forced his body to jump to the side saved him from being turned into ash.

"Not bad." Ameyuri drawled, her teeth showing as she smiled ferally. "Things just got interesting."

The next second, she had vanished amidst a bright shower of sparks.

—~ ~—

"You know, he is kinda good." Tsubame admitted as she watched Sasuke fight the hunter-nin. "I mean, he's not as good as Blondie and he is way too flashy with those over the top spin kicks but he's still good."

"Yeah well he's fighting with the Uchiha-patented Interceptor Fist." Kazehana shrugged. "They've most likely factored in the use of the Sharingan such that by the time you react to an 'opening' they've already seen it and are waiting to capitalize on it."

"True."

They watched on as Sasuke battled on, even seemingly winning until, just as he clashed his kunai against his opponent's absurdly strong senbon, said opponent began doing single handed seals.

"Okay, I did not see that coming." Tsubame stated as she leapt into the fray, launching two bone bullets at the masked ninja to stop... whatever he was doing.

"I said not to interrupt!" Sasuke snarled as she landed beside him.

"Put a sock in it bitch." She shot back as her eyes scanned about for the hunter-nin who seemed to have vanished. "Kami, I wonder what the girls in our year saw in you?"

"Hyōton: Korashira."

The only warning they got was the sudden drop in temperature before pillars of ice erupted from the ground beneath them.

Tsubame, who was used to shit like this from some of Anko's more torturous training sessions had no problem jumping from one pillar to the other until she could safelt ake her jump to land. Sasuke, unfortunately, wasn't used to this. Of course, this didn't mean that he remained in place long enough to get flung off the rapidly rising pillars. Instead, he was quick enough to mimic the silver-haired girl and jump to safety.

"Genjutsu: Hi no Yaiba."

While both heard the fake Hunter's choked cry, only Tsubame understood why. Kazehana's Hi no Yaiba genjutsu placed the victim in an illusion that showed the redhead appearing right in front of the target and shoving a thin blade of fire right through their throat. It hurt like hell, Tsubame could attest to, and it wasn't even completed as the redhead wasn't very proficient at manipulating the pain receptors in the brain yet.

Oh well, opening for the heroes.

"Katon: Gōkakyu no jutsu!"

Yup, Sasuke was definitely waiting for that shot.

Of course, fate was waiting to mess with them.

"Hyōton: Hyōjin no Tate!"

The fireball smashed into a flat board of ice before dissipating as the ice shattered.

"Forgive me for this." The hunter-nin's voice echoed around them. "But I do what I must. Hyōton: Makyō Hyōshō!"

When the Ice Pillars technique was used, the temperature dropped quite a bit. Now, with this new technique, it felt like they were trapped on the mountains of Yuki no Kuni.

The falling shards of ice from the Shield of the Ice God technique froze mid-air before suddenly expanding, growing to form a dome of segmented ice mirrors.

"Oh fuck." Tsubame swore as the Hunter-nin appeared in all the mirrors, senbon clutched in both fists.

"Forgive me," the images echoed, "but for Zabuza-sama I must defeat you. Even if it kills a part of me."

—~ ~—

"You know, you're one of the few people that has managed to survive this long against me in a kenjutsu fight." Zabuza commented as he twirled his large blade around himself to deflect the kunai his opponent threw at him before spinning to block the chained tantō swinging toward him from his left. "Mangetsu sure wouldn't have minded making you an honorary member of the Nananin Shu."

"Aww really?" Anko drawled as she spun her weapons around her in ever complicated patterns. "I'm pretty sure I'm not that good."

"No, you most definitely are." Zabuza rejoined as he once again deflected her tantō/kunai pincer attack. "Your students on the other hand are about to be made into pincushions."

Anko's reaction was immediate as her head snapped to the side in time to see the Ice dome form around Tsubame and Sasuke.

"I'm your opponent." Zabuza whispered into her ear just before running his blade into her back.

"I know." It was the kunoichi's turn to whisper into her opponent's ear as she wrapped the chain of her weapon around his neck.

One substitution later, Zabuza stood on the same spot he was on when he taunted Anko, his hand rubbing his neck tenderly.

"Kawarimi with the kunai on the floor behind you." He nodded. "Not bad."

"I try." Anko shrugged as she channelled chakra into her resistance bands, dropping them from three to one. "Wanna go again?"

Zabuza hefted his sword onto his shoulder before abruptly taking off. "With pleasure."

—~ ~—

"Kami damn it!" Kazehana roared in frustration as she watched her latest lightning sphere scatter upon hitting the Ice dome. "Nothing's working!"

"Hana-chan!" Naruto called out as he skidded to a stop by her side. "What's going on?"

"Naruto!" The redhead cried and enveloped him in a pained hug. "I can't get them out! We were to fight that hunter-nin Kakashi-san warned us about and we were pushing him until he created that dome thing! I was barely able to roll out of its reach but Tsubame's in there! I've tried every jutsu I have but nothing's working!"

Naruto gently pulled her off him and looked into her eyes. "Hana-chan, we'll get them out. Just calm down."

While she tried to do as he suggested, the blond looked through the transparent mirrors and gritted his teeth. 'They're being turned into pincushions in there! Gotta think of something. Kazehana has the most destructive jutsu on the team yet nothing's worked so that's off the table. How about...'

For the next minute, the blond ran multiple options through his head until his brain clicked on the most out of the box idea he had ever had.

Slowly bringing his hands together, he performed each handseal individually until he arrived at the last one. Then, holding the final seal, he pushed out his chakra to the intended target and, when he was sure he had the target secure, he clearly enunciated every syllable of the jutsu.

"Kawarimi no jutsu!"

One moment, he was standing beside Kazehana. The next, he was beside his silver-haired teammate, within the Ice dome.

The Uchiha was... gone.

"Hell yeah!" He pumped his fist in joy. "Kawarimi with a human body: success."

The female occupants of the Ice dome gaped at him.

"You tried an experimental technique in the middle of a fight?" Tsubame asked.

"Yup."

"While I applaud your skill," the hunter-nin began after suitably regaining composure, "your death was sealed the instant you appeared." The images all prepared to hurl their senbon at the two Konoha genin. "This technique allows me to move at the speed of light."

"Bitch please." Tsubame snorted as she pulled put some of the senbon stuck in her clothing. "Only two known techniques allow for that level of speed. One's faded and the other is used by the Raikage."

The hunter-nin suddenly blurred in all the mirrors before stabilizing. In that split second, the two genin were riddled with senbon.

"Explain that kunoichi-san."

"Simple." Tsubame pulled out the new additions to her clothing. "Your technique plays on the human body's reaction. In extreme cold, the body slows down until it shuts down. Using that principle, you are slowing our bodily perception down, allowing you to seem faster."

"Impressive." The hunter-nin conceded with a small nod. 'She's really good. But I've seen what she can do. I can beat her, I just need to take out the blond. He's the unknown variable.'

"You know," Tsubame continued, "I don't think you really want to kill us."

"Why, pray tell, do you think so?" The hunter-nin askd, stealthily moving over to the mirror behind the blond.

"Well, you've been barely hitting us since the beginning. You don't aim for kill zones and you actually pause to lest us rest in between." Tsubame counted off on her fingers.

"Not a bad deduction." The hunter-nin's image blurred again before stabilizing. "But not altogether true."

"Well, I did not see this coming." Tsubame whispered behind Naruto.

Spinning, the blond came face to face with his friend. And felt horrified.

She had senbon sticking out of her back and, if the positioning of the precision weapons and already droopy eyes and slowed breathing didn't tell him, looked like she was at death's door.

"Tsubame..." He whispered softly, eyes watering as he held her body. "I should have gotten here sooner. Should have switched out with you instead of the bastard Uchiha. Should have-"

"Blo- Blondie..." Tsubame coughed out with a small smile. "Ki- kic... Kick that bastard's ass."

"Is this your first time witnessing the death of a loved one?" The hunter-nin's question echoed around the dome as Naruto frantically tried to keep his friend alive. "She's dead shinobi-"

"Shut up!" Naruto roared as he began to draw on the chakra of his bijū. "Just shut up!"

"She sacrificed herself for you, shinobi-san." The hunter continued as though the blond hadn't spoken. "She was getting quick enough to track my throws so I decided, after you switched in for your raven-haired teammate, to go after you, being the unknown variable. She deduced my plan before my last attack and took the hit for you."

"Shut up!"

"You caused her death." The hunter-nin pressed relentlessly, aiming to break the boy and end the fight in one sweep. "If you hadn't come in, being someone she obviously considers as precious to herself, I would never have targeted you and she would never have died. You, shinobi-san, killed your fri-"

Everything happened so fast that the raven haired hunter-nin only saw a reddish-orange blur before being hit with an enormous amount of pain.

To Naruto, it happened in slow motion.

The hunter-nin had wanted to break him. Well, it had worked, of sorts. He had snapped when he heard the words of the hunter-nin and drawn way more power than he wanted from his bijū. So much that his consciousness was pushed into the backseat. The chakra had taken over him and it had only one purpose.

To destroy everything standing in its way.

—~ ~—

Parrying another strike from the lightning enhanced swords, Kakashi glanced at Anko and nodded slightly.

The next second, he substituted with a fallen tree branch just as a chained tantō sliced through, headed straight toward the red-headed missing-nin.

The sudden switch took her by surprise but if she had fallen for every trick that has taken her by surprise, she'd have been dead before becoming a genin. With speed honed from years of being on the run, she swiped her left arm down diagonally, aiming to block the weapon when Anko suddenly yanked back and spun, sending the weapon on a curving arch back to Zabuza. Simultaneously, Kakashi appeared behind the Kirigakure no Kijin, his lightning enhanced chokutō replaced by a blade of wind that extended from his outstretched arm.

"Fūton: Kaze no Yaiba." He called out as he stabbed said wind blade into Zabuza's left lung. A few seconds later, Anko's tantō finished it's arch and buried itself into the same lung.

"One down." Kakashi stated as he kicked Zabuza away, releasing his hand and Anko's weapon as well as increasing the damage done on him the missing-nin.

"One to go." Anko finished, swinging her weapons around in lazy arcs.

To their surprise, Ameyuri still had her grin on. "Wow. You actually took down Zabuza-chan. I'm impressed. Though I must ask, how'd you pull that off? I know for certain that Zabuza-chan's reaction time is more than enough to keep up with that sort of attack."

"Tantō's poisoned." Anko shrugged. "It affects the nervous system and slows down reaction time. Takes a while to act but I definitely got enough into his system during some of our close exchanges."

"Well, if his weapon was poisonous he'd definitely have done you in." The redhead smirked. She certainly was right as Anko's body was littered with slashes and a particularly nasty cut just below her ribs bled onto her cloak. "Oh, and he isn't dead by the way."

Both Konoha shinobi turned to see the Kijin slowly getting back onto his feet, using his large sword as a crutch.

As Kakashi moved to draw his chokutō, he felt a blast of an eerily familiar chakra.

'That's the Kyūbi's chakra!' He thought as his mind instantly hit overdrive. 'It's not as potent as when it attacked Konoha so the seal is probably still intact. But then that would mean Naruto's drawing the Kyūbi's chakra. But why?'

Just then, the dome of ice exploded into uncountable shards as a red blur blitzed into a tree.

'Naruto!' Kakashi thought as he watched the boy pummel the hunter-nin straight through the tree and fling him back onto the shore. A quick glance back at the site of the now destroyed dome showed Kazehana bent over a prone figure. Considering the fact that Sasuke was with Sakura and Kuno, that could only be... 'Oh Kami.'

A quick glance at Anko with his open Sharingan showed that she had come to the same conclusion as he had.

Reaching into a special pouch hidden behind his kunai pouch, he pulled out Warder's Tag.

The fight had to end. Quickly.

—~ ~—

The instant Haku landed in the water, she had created a Mizu bunshin and substituted her position with it, just in time to avoid the devastating clawed slash the blond attacked with.

Without a second of hesitation, she completed a series of hand seals, calling out the name of her jutsu as it shot off toward the blond.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan!"

'His chakra is so... violent. Malicious even.' She thought as she swam out of the water. 'I must be care-'

Her thoughts were disrupted as she was forced to practically fold in half from the punch that smashed into her belly. She wasn't given a second of respite as she was rocked by blow after blow, her enhanced speed and reaction times rendered utterly useless by the blond's continuous barrage.

'I failed, Tou-san, Kaa-san.' She thought as her nose crumpled inward from a devastating right straight. 'Zabuza-sama. I failed you all.'

—~ ~—

 _ **Two Days Later:**_

Kakashi sighed, dropping his Icha Icha book on the rooftop tiles beside him, and sat up.

'Two days...' He thought with a small shake of his head. 'Two days since the battle at the bridge.'

Sharingan no Kakashi had been through hell in his lifetime. War did that to a person. He had seen destruction on massive scales and slaughters... His own sensei held the all time record for the most kills within the shortest span of time. He had seen a lot.

Yet, what Naruto, his sensei's son and the latest jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, had done to Gatō and his men... Massacre didn't cut it.

Just after leaving Haku as nothing but a bloody pulp on the ground, he had turned to Zabuza, raining all of the Kyūbi's considerable killing intent on the severely weakened man before proceeding to attack the man. Being an A-ranked shinobi didn't mean much against a jinchūriki that had tapped into his bijū's power while simultaneously suffering from both poison, fatigue and major injuries.

In the end, the boy shattered the missing-nin's skull with a punch.

'Then Gatō stepped in, the fat fuck...'

The shit had hit the fan almost instantly. Gatō, bastard that he was, had immediately captured the bridge builder and the girls guarding him. Kazehana, Sasuke and Kuno had managed to take out six of the mercenaries with him before getting caught. Ameyuri couldn't help because of the Warder's Tag slapped on her back and himself and Anko were already feeling the fatigue from their battle.

Then, Gatō made some really lecherous comments about Kazehana, Kuno and Sakura and he threw in a few degrading ones for Haku and Tsubame.

'And Naruto proceeded to utterly destroy him.'

The boy was a red blur of death, bearing down on the mercenaries with powerful punches, claw strikes and kicks. None of the jutsu Anko taught him were used. They weren't needed.

At the end, after ripping out the tyrannic tycoon, the boy dropped onto the ground, the demonic chakra cloak dissipating as he vomited.

Then, he passed out.

'And he's yet to wake up.' Kakashi sighed again. This entire mission had been an eye-opener. After leaving ANBU, he had, without realizing it, dropped from his former skill level. He was the Sharingan no Kakashi, an S-ranked shinobi in the bingo books. At his prime, he would have wiped Zabuza away. The whole 'not revealing the Sharingan until later' thing was his pride. Had he gone all out on Zabuza, and being on an escort mission with his genin there, that should have been his first choice, he would never have required help and he wouldn't have put his sensei's son into such a messed up situation.

Then came the issue of his team. While Konoha favored teamwork, there were cases of shinobi that went on solo missions through most of their careers. He should have trained them to be better; survival first, teamwork a close second.

"Looks like I've got a shit ton of work to do when we get back..."

—~ ~—

"How is he now, sensei?" Kazehana asked quietly, watching as Anko ran a diagnostic scan on her blond teammate.

"He's much better now." Anko replied, her voice almost sagging in relief. "The fever's broken and his chakra's flowing smoothly again. His reserves are filling up and his enhanced healing has kicked in. Not as fast as we've come to expect but, as you can see, the few light slashes he got from the mercs have been healed and the heavier cuts are already healing. He should be up within the next forty-eight hours."

"That's great." The redhead sighed in relief. "He'll be even happier when he sees her alive and well."

"You're telling me." Anko smiled as she walked to the second bed in the room to run diagnostics on its occupant. "She's in prime condition. The only difference is that her bones feel... denser... From the little she showed me of her clan's scroll, the change in density is due to the bone armor finally activating."

"Just wish it had activated a bit faster." Kazehana murmured. "Then it would have stopped the senbon from hitting her neck and sending her into that near-death state and stopped Naruto from going on that... rampage..."

"Me too, Hana-chan." Anko rubbed her only conscious genin's shoulder. "Me too."

—~ ~—

The bijū watched, with almost bored eyes, the body of its host as he groaned and gradually sat up.

"Good. You're finally awake."

"What- ah!" The boy grabbed his temples and moaned in pain as the mindscape pulsed in response to the strain on his mind.

A few moments later, everything stabilized and his moaning stopped. "What... What happened?"

"You finally experienced the effects of pulling on more of my power than you can handle." The bijū answered, it's gruff tone shifting into a much softer one as it switched to the female form.

"I... I killed..." Naruto stammered, looking down on his hands. "I massacred those men..."

"You did."

"Why?"

"My chakra is extremely potent, so much so that it is... sentient... in a way. It can move of its own to defend me or attack on my whims." The bijū replied. "When you drew beyond your limit, it overpowered your unguarded mind and latched on to the last thought you had..."

"Ending the people who killed Tsubame." He whispered.

"Exactly." The Kyūbi nodded. "Hence your going after Zabuza when you finished with the girl and your subsequent annihilation of that slimebag human, Gatō."

"I could... See..." The blond sobbed quietly. "I watched as my body did things I didn't want it to."

"Your mental fortitude is not yet powerful enough to hold back an assault as high as what you felt when my chakra took over and it is nowhere near enough to regain your faculties when such power had already taken over."

Silence followed a while before the blond spoke up again. "Am I a monster?"

"You're the only one who can answer that."

Silence again.

"Why did you tell me those things?" Naruto asked. "About your chakra and it's effects. Why didn't you deceive me or try to escape?"

The bijū laughed, the pleasant sound an extreme opposite of the gruff, androgynous voice the blond was used to. "Ningen, decieving you is pointless. I cannot 'try' to escape. Nothing short of you releasing this seal can release me."

Naruto caught an inflection in her tone though. "But what?"

"Hmm?" The bijū arched an eyebrow.

"You sounded odd. Like even if I were to relase you, something would go wrong."

The bijū laughed again but, this time, Naruto could hear a small flicker of emotion beyond the mirth. "You really are perceptive boy."

"I was forced to learn."

"True..." The bijū smiled but said nothing and for a while only the gently plopping sounds of water drops echoed around. "Simply put, my chakra has been halved."

"Huh?"

The bijū sighed. "Your father sealed away half of my chakra. My Yin chakra to be precise."

"You mean, he sealed away your reiatsu?"

"Not all of it." The bijū clarified. "I have enough to regain my old quantity to balance my self but the majority of it is sealed within your father."

"Who's in the Shinigami's belly." Naruto finished. "Why do you think he did that?"

"To protect you." Was the simple answer. "As a child, Uzumaki or not, your chakra coils were not developed enough to withstand the full might of my chakra. You would have died. Simple."

"Oh..."

"It's why you can create solid, lifelike transformations but cannot create less than very powerful genjutsu." The Kyūbi explained. "As a result of having me sealed into you, your Yin-Yang chakra balance is tilted more toward Yang meaning you can use more physical-based techniques easily but will find it difficult to use more reiatsu-intensive techniques."

"Anko-sensei would like to hear that."

"Not a word to anyone!" The bijū snarled. A few seconds later, the bijū calmed down and regained it's composure and regal bearing. "Not a word to anyone."

"Why?"

"Consider it my pride speaking out."

The blond seemed conflicted. Heed to the words of the bijū or ignore them?

"Fine." He sighed. "I won't tell anyone."

"Good choice." The bijū nodded. "Now, you need to rest. Return to your body."

Releasing a gentle pulse of its chakra, the bijū returned the boy to his sleeping body.

—~ ~—

Done.

On to staving off incoming attacks:

1- Why did you cut off the fight without showing the massacre?

Simply put, I think I've read enough of Kyūbi-fied Naruto ripping Gatō apart. I didn't want to go all repetitive on myself. Soery if you don't like it like this.

2- Why make Haku target Naruto in the Ice dome?

Haku, having seen Tsubame was able to judge her skill level. Naruto was an unknown so taking him out first was the most logical decision.

3- Anko fighting on Zabuza's level?

Not really. She mostly just held him off while dealing enough damage for her poison to seep into his bloodstream.

4-And Ameyuri?

Captured. The Warder's Tag ensured that. And Haku's also been taken captive.

That's it I guess.

Now, review response 2.

Nope. And Yup.

Chibi Naruto (Altered's Naruto) is not getting with Sakura.

However, Future Naruto is with Sakura.

Thing is, I like Sakura as much as I dislike her. I, however, consider her a better fit for Naruto than Hinata. Hinata, sorry to those that disagree, is way too gentle. She'd be unable to rein Naruto in when he decides to do stupid shit. And thats not going into the whole Hyūga clan thing.

Sakura, however, will be able to. Sure, I hate the whole head-bashing thing. But she will definitely be able to stop him.

Does that settle it? I hope so.

Anyway, later.

Read & Review Please.

The Ethereal Lord.


	14. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

— _~Tsubame's Point of View~—_

 _"Mommy? What happened to the house?" The little girl asked as she clutched her mother's hand tightly._

 _They had just arrived from a long, two week holiday to the clan compound to find... this..._

 _The houses were razed till nothing but the pillars stood. Blood ran in streams down the street and the air was clogged with smoke. Unlike her shinobi parents, who could alleviate the effects of the smoke in their lungs by creating a screen of chakra in their nostrils, the girl, eyes stinging, could only breathe well because the smoky air settled a two feet above her head..._

 _"I... I don't know, Tsu-chan." Her mother held her hand tightly. "I don't know."_

 _"Daddy?" The girl asked hopefully. Daddy had always known everything. He would know this._

 _Her hopes were dashed as her father shook his head sadly. "We were just lucky to have been away... We could have been-"_

 _"A part of it?" A new voice spoke up and the girl shivered in fear. "Oh you won't escape, Kaiga-san. I'm here to ensure that."_

 _"M-mo- mommy? I'm scared." The girl whispered as she shifted to hide behind her mother's legs. Poking her head around for a quick look, she jerked back immediately, terrified now of what she had seen._

 _He looked strange, bathed in the moonlight and the dying flames of the houses around, with his wierdly sharp teeth and beady eyes. The marks on his face were strange as well as the really big sword on his back._

 _"Hoshigaki Kisame." The girl was shocked a bit out of her fear. Daddy had never spoken like that before. He sounded like he wanted to hurt the strange man and Daddy never hurt anyone. "What is the meaning of this treachery?"_

 _The scary man just shrugged. "It's not treachery if it's just me doing my job."_

 _"What?" Now Mommy sounded like she was surprised. "You're implying that Yagura-sama ordered our clan's demise?"_

 _"Mommy?" She called softly but was ignored._

 _"Not implying, Kireina-san." The scary man threw something at Daddy. The little girl felt proud when her Daddy caught the thing. She couldn't catch yet but she would learn from Daddy._

 _Suddenly, Daddy shouted at Mommy and then everything went away..._

— _~Kireina's Point of View~—_

 _"Kireina! It's real!"_

 _The instant I heard that, I moved, swinging Tsubame into my arms and channelling chakra for a small, sleep-inducing, genjutsu into her head. She slept off instantly, though I only noted that peripherally as I was already on the move again, racing toward our burned down home._

 _Knowing that time favored me not, I made a beeline for the pillar in the middle of what remained of my home. With ease that could only come from years of experience I channelled chakra through a specific pathway in the seal written for us by an old Uzumaki friend. A split-second later, a sack popped into existence and I grabbed it without a second to waste._

 _I was out of the wreckage of our home in less than thirty seconds, my destination: as far away from Kirigakure as I could get._

 _"Karamatsu no mai!"_

 _Kaiga... My dear husband was back there, battling against the Kirigakure no Same, Hoshigaki Kisame, as horrible a matchup as possible. With Samehada, Kisame could drain my husband's chakra. While our bloodline can protect us from every other weapon, Samehada easily bypassed that._

 _Yagura, the bastard, has done it. He's gone through with his anti-bloodline war and he has started it off with us Kaguya._

 _But Kaiga, my Kaiga, sacrificed himself for me and Tsu-chan._

 _I will NOT let his sacrifice be in vain._

— _~Tsubame's Point of View~—_

 _"Mommy?"_

 _"Yes, Tsu-chan?"_

 _"What are you doing?"_

 _Mommy turned to look at me. She was smiling but it wasn't like her old smile._

 _I want Mommy's old smile back._

 _"Tsu-chan, mommy needs to go somewhere. I'll be back soon but until then, I need you to be a big girl for mommy. Can you be a big, good girl? You don't want the Chisio Akuma to come get you."_

 _I shook my head up and down like Daddy used to when I asked him to carry me. "Yes mommy!"_

 _"Good... Always remember, Tsu-chan, I love you. And so does Daddy. Okay?"_

 _"Okay!"_

 _"That's my little girl!" Mommy smiled and hugged me. "I love you Tsubame."_

 _"I love you too Mommy."_

—~ ~—

"Tsubame..." Kazehana whispered worriedly as she ran a soaked towel across her forehead.

The last known Kaguya was sweating profusely, tears from her eyes mixing with the sweat from her head as she tossed and turned about on her bed.

It wasn't the first time Kazehana had seen this, which was why she knew not to wake her up, but it was the third time this week, more times than in the last two months.

The silver-haired girl sat up abruptly, knocking the towel away from her friend's hand.

"Tsubame?" Kazehana whispered softly.

"M- mommy?"

"No." Kazehana crawled into the bed and hugged her. "Sorry."

The next few moments were spent in silence as Tsubame cried into her friend's shoulder.

"Tha-" her voice hitched as a final sob bubbled up, "thank you Hana."

"It was nothing." Kazehana replied as she pulled back. Staring into her friend's eyes, she could see the pain that lingered deep within. "That's the third time this week you've dreamt about the massacre."

"Yeah..."

"Do you know why?"

She nodded. "I think it's because of what happened in Nami."

Kazehana's brow scrunched up in confusion. "You mean the bitch putting you in a near-death state?"

Another nod. "When mom escaped with me, she was nearly killed by Kisame twice."

Comprehension dawned on the redhead. "Your subconscious must have linked that experience to what Haku did, triggering the memories again."

"I guess so."

Kazehana swore angrily. "I really hope nee-chan shatters her completely-"

"Stop." Tsubame sighed. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Oh..."

The room was quiet again.

"How about... to, you know, block off the... those memories, we fight them with good ones." Kazehana suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, let's remember some of the good stuff we've done."

Tsubame stared at her friend before shaking her head. "I got nothing."

Kazehana smirked. "Sure you don't, Miss 'I'm terrified of the Chisio Akuma'. Nope. You got nothing at all."

"Hey. My dad told me to be afraid of the Bloody Devils for a reason." Tsubame shot back with a ghost of a smile. "It's not my fault you looked like one!"

"And what made me look like a demon that bathed in the blood of children again?" Kazehana asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh I don't know, could be the blood red eyes or the same colored hair you've got there. Besides, you were afraid of the 'Waif'." Tsubame snorted. "The ghost that comes at night to haunt naughty children. Man you were dumb."

"Silver hair, gray eyes, pasty complexion," Kazehana ticked each point off her fingers, "when you walked down the orphanage hallway during the thunderstorms, _nobody_ wanted to come out of the rooms."

Tsubame pouted. "I wasn't _that_ scary."

"Uh huh. Yet we were roomies and we would never have been friends if Naruto hadn't tricked us."

"Okay, THAT, I admit, is true." Tsubame smiled. "Though it was your fault. I got to that spot before you did."

"Hell no. Everyone knew that I always read right under the tree on that spot."

"And so the fight would have continued if Blondie hadn't stuck his fat ass right on that spot."

"I admit, I actually enjoyed kicking his ass that day." Kazehana giggled. "Though I probably wouldn't have caught him without your help."

"Probably?" Tsubame asked. "Bitch, you couldn't have caught a stone if it rolled at you slower than a snail."

"Oh put a sock in it." Kazehana blushed. "If he hadn't pushed us together, we'd still be snapping at each other."

"True." Tsubame conceded. "But if I didn't get you to enjoy the great outdoors, you'd be white as a vampire in your couch reading."

"You always play shōgi." Kazehana retorted.

"As a hobby." The Kaguya shrugged. "Your reading bordered on OCD back then. You were the only four year old that practically never played on the field. And you've never even explained why."

The room fell silent again as Kazehana tried to put her feelings into words.

"I never knew my parents." She stated. "While you already knew that, you didn't know that my aunt was the librarian at the Konohagakure General School until she died two days to my birthday. I only got to know about two years ago. Anyway, she always read to me every night and that kinda just stuck."

"Oh." It was Tsubame's turn to feel bad that she'd brought up something her friend didn't want to talk about. With a sigh, she flopped back onto the bed. "Kazehana? If you met, say, your aunt's son that you never knew about and he asked you to leave us to follow him... Would you go?"

Silence once again fell over the room as the clouds covered the moon. Kazehana didn't want to answer the question and even nature seemed to hold its breath.

"I... I don't know, Tsu-chan," Kazehana sighed. "I really don't know."

—~ ~—

"Blondie? You up yet?" Tsubame asked softly as she peeked into his room.

This had become a little rite of theirs about two weeks after Naruto had learnt the secret of the shadow clone technique. He'd have an army of clones working on various forms of training overnight and then wake up an hour early, give the command for a gradual dispel and then assimilate the memories. While he was usually done by the time the girls woke up, he had taken quite a lot longer a few times. Hence, whenever they woke up, they checked up on him.

"Hey Tsubame." He greeted her without opening his eyes. "I should be done in fifteen minutes. Two clones are preparing breakfast."

"Got it." She nodded and stepped away from his door. Walking into her shared room, she flopped onto the bed, grabbing her weapons pouch from the bedside table. "Hana? Blondie's up, says he'll be with us in fifteen. He's got clones on breakie duty."

"Got it." Kazehana replied from the shower. "I'll be outta here in five."

"Alright." Tsubame emptied the contents of the pouch onto her bed. "Let's see: kunai master scroll, shuriken master scroll, accessories master scroll. Mission scroll set, complete. Blunt kunai scroll, blunt shuriken scroll, dud accessories scroll. Training scroll set, complete. Two spools of ninja wire, check. Alrighty then..."

With practiced fingers, she returned the scrolls into their designated slots in the pouch, the Training set on the outer slots and the Mission scrolls in the inner slots. With the design of the pouch, she could easily switch from Training set to Mission set by pulling on a hidden latch, allowing her to always be prepared for an actual fight, even during training.

With that done, she reached under her pillow and pulled out a journal she had copied the details from the Kaguya Clan Scrolls into as it would have been risky to carry the original about.

'Alright, I've activated the Hone no Yoroi so it's time to move up.' She thought as she flipped through the book. 'Time to start studying up on the Dances...'

She was so absorbed in her reading that Kazehana had to shake her roughly to get her attention.

"Geez, if I were an assassin you'd be dead." The redhead commented as she dropped her towel.

"Sorry," she yawned, "got a little too into that."

"We're shinobi. We should never get so 'into' something that we ignore our surroundings." Kazehana replied while pulling on her panties. "Anyway, how is it?"

"Not great." The Kaguya shrugged as she slung the discarded towel across her shoulders. "Though I've activated the bone armor, I need to work on doing it of my own will. It was instinctive back in the dome.

"It apart from that, my projections are still not enough. I need to be able to project spikes as long as a kunai before I can even say I'm doing any of the Dances."

"That's quite a lot."

"You're telling me." She sighed. "Anyways, I've decided that, while I'm working on those aspects, I'll also work on my taijutsu. While the Kaguya style seems to have been based on Baghuazhang martial arts, I'm thinking that I might be able to add the strength of the Hung Ga to it."

"Hmm... That's actually quite workable." Kazehana paused amidst pulling her pants up to mull over her friend's idea. "It'll take a lot of work though, since wind doesn't exactly complement earth."

"Oh joy." Tsubame threw a mock-glare at the redhead. "Thanks for telling me that."

"You're welcome." Came the cheeky reply. "Plus, since Tenten's coming over today, she can use you for target practice. It'll give you extra incentive to get the bone armor working of your own will."

"I hate you. With all of my hate."

"Bitch, you love me and you know it." Kazehana laughed. "Now go get your stinky ass cleaned up."

Twenty minutes later, she walked out of the shower, already dressed save for her footwear.

"Well, let's go get breakfast." Kazehana said as she strapped her kunai pouch around her waist.

"Kazehana." The redhead turned around only to be pulled into a tight hug. "Thank you... For earlier..."

—~ ~—

With a sigh, he dispersed the bubbles around him and pressed the heel of his palms into his eye sockets. "Man, I've done this so many times yet it's still tiring."

"You realize that your accomplishments are, to a great extent, staggering?"

Naruto turned to the Kyūbi, who was currently in its female form and sitting in seiza behind its bars, and asked what it meant.

"Very few humans have a mindscape. Even fewer consciously go into this mindscape for any reason. You not only do both, you use this mindscape as an avenue to sort out the memories of your clones, which in themselves are another accomplishment."

"Well, I doubt if I'd even know I had a mindscape without your presence here." He shrugged. "And what did you mean? About my clones?"

"Other that a fellow jinchūriki, no other person on this planet should be able to utilize you clones in the manner you have and even amongst perfect jinchūriki, it is doubtful that any can match you in sheer numerical quantity."

"Oh..." Naruto thought over the bijū's words before shrugging again. "Must have something to do with me having Uzumaki blood in me."

Both went silent, thinking over individual thoughts until Naruto spoke up.

"Kyūbi? I've got a few questions to ask."

"Listening."

"Well, first off, why are you so helpful to me?"

"Because I am selfish." The bijū replied simply. "To explain, you need to understand that I have spent probably over sixty years in bondage. Part of that was in maddening darkness and silence, the other was spent staked to a viscous, bubbling ball of volatile chakra. Both existences have been... unpleasant. As such, bargaining a much more lax bondage within you is quite preferable."

Naruto nodded as he mulled it over. "I'm guessing that's why you stay in this human form while I'm within the mindscape?"

"I believe, from my experience with other humans, that this form is better suited to meeting my own ends, so yes. That is why."

"So if you got the chance, you'd remove this seal to free yourself?"

"You must do so of your own accord." The Kyūbi stated simply. "Even if I were to possess control over your body, your mind must agree with the body's decision lest the attempt is useless."

"Thanks for clearing that up." He sighed. "Next question: what did you mean by a 'perfect jinchūriki?"

"It's what I heard them being called. They simply are jinchūriki in full partnership with their bijū. And to answer your new question, no, you have done nothing worthy of a partnership."

"Would have way too easy if you agreed." The blond ran a hand through his messy hair. "Three: what was your life like before you were enslaved?"

"One word: peaceful. The rest comes as you earn it."

Naruto sighed again. "Kinda expected that one too. Alright, last one before I need to get out for a new day. I've been thinking over the mission to Nami, precisely about that girl, Haku, and her bloodline."

"What, you want one?" It asked, an eyebrow arched pointedly.

"Nah, don't need it. I want to be known and respected for my own hard-earned skill, not some hereditary thing." He scoffed. "No, I wanted to ask if you know about how they came to be. Bloodlines, that is."

The sewer-like form of his mindscape went silent as the bijū closed its eyes and thought over his question. At least, that's what it seemed to be doing.

After what seemed like ages, just as he was about to apologize for asking, the bijū spoke up.

"I cannot tell you much about this. Not for lack of knowledge on my part though. Think of the untold parts as being S-classed information."

Naruto's eyes widened as the import of the bijū's statement sunk in. "Oh... Okay..."

"Good. Now, you need to understand that, while the Rikudō Sennin gave mankind chakra, he did not give majority of the many bloodlines you see today. He possessed only three special techniques that could be considered the bloodlines. The Sharingan, of the Uchiha Clan, the Byakugan, of the Hyūga and the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya."

"So Tsubame's related to the Rikudō Sennin?"

"A granddaughter multiple times removed, yes." The bijū nodded. "However, the other bloodlines came about as a result of humanity being introduced to chakra. Changes in weather and other factors contributed to changes in their bodies and the chakra that flowed through them. Specific genes reacted in certain ways, combining different elemental types with others to create new ones. In other cases, these genetic mutations affected the ratio of reiatsu and ki and the balance between Yin chakra and Yang chakra. Most, if not all bloodlines, came about this way."

"Wait, so bloodlines are basically just genetic mutations?"

The bijū simply shrugged, eliciting a facepalm from the boy. "Damn that just seems fucked up. Yet, it fits. I mean, we've got elemental bloodlines, which you explained first, chakra-based bloodlines and body-altering bloodlines which your second explanation covers and dōjutsu, the heritage of the Rikudō Sennin. Damn, Ojii-san will wanna hear-"

"S-classed information." The Kyūbi reiterated pointedly. "Or in simple, idiot-proof, words: if I don't tell you to talk then shut up."

"Ah..." Just then, a bubble floated out of the sewer's water up to his sightline, showing a first person view of a person at work in the kitchen. A second bubble joined the first, showing slightly different angles of the same images as the first. "Breakie's ready, which is my cue to get back to the real world." He stood up and stretched. "Ugh, thank you Kyūbi. I'll be sure to keep my mouth shut tight."

And with that, the boy phased out of the mindscape.

—~ ~—

"Morning Hana, Tsu." He greeted as he walked out of his room.

"Finally." Tsubame raised her hand and Naruto have her a high-five. "Thought I'd have to go drag you outta there."

"No need for any brash actions." He said as he bumped fists with Kazehana and headed over to the counter to get his tray. "I just had a bit more than usual to sort through."

"So, how'd it go?" The redhead asked between sips of her tea.

"Well, it has taken a while but, with the little tidbits I got from Asuma-san, I can now split a leaf with my chakra."

"Well, wind manipulation, stage one complete!" Tsubame cheered. "Now we don't have to watch you mope around cause you couldn't get it down."

"Yeah whatever." He huffed. "Anyway, I also got the first stage of water manipulation down. Besides elemental manipulation, though, I need to do physical work on the rest."

"Been working on your calligraphy skills?" Tsubame asked.

He nodded. "Clone-wise, I can complete the kanji for any of the Zodiac signs in under six seconds. I just need to get my body used to that speed and I'll be ready to start my way into core fūinjutsu."

"How about your Nagareru Ken?"

"I've gotten the fusion of the two individual styles down pat. I just need to up my attack speed. On a side note, a few of my clones decided to experiment on adding the staves to the style."

"And?"

The blond sighed as Kazehana's question stopped him from digging into his food... again. "It brought about some interesting results. I'll need to get used to the staves first, though. Now, you tell me about your plans for the day while I finally begin to eat."

"Oh!" Both girls blushed simultaneously. "Sorry."

He just waved it off as he scarfed his waffles.

"Well," Tsubame started off, "Tenten's got today free from her team so she promised to join us sometime this afternoon for some extra training."

"Yeah, and I think she'd be the perfect motivation for Tsu to perfect her Hone no Yoroi." Kazehana smirked, leading to a glare from the Kaguya and an undignified snort from the blond.

"Ignoring a certain redhead," Tsubame stated pointedly, "Hinata's also promised to show up. She's been quite giddy to meet up with us since we returned. And no, I don't think it has anything to do with you being her crush, Blondie."

Naruto rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue.

"Anyway, Kuno said she might show up as well." Kazehana added. "She wasn't sure, though. Something about Kakashi-san being more serious with team seven's training."

"I honestly doubt if they'll have it anywhere near our training level." Tsubame scoffed.

"Of course they won't." Kazehana shrugged. "No other genin team has the Marquis de Sadé as one of their sensei."

"That's all good and all," Naruto finally rejoined the conversation, his tray now empty, "but what'll you guys be doing before they join us?"

"I'm gonna work on my taijutsu a bit." Tsubame answered. "I'm taking a book outta your library by trying to see if I can add a few elements of Hung Ga to the Kaguya taijutsu style. After that, I'll work on that Shinjū Zanshū jutsu."

"Hmm... I'll have some clones watch you during your taijutsu practice to see what they can do to help."

"Thanks Blondie."

"No problem. And you, Hana?"

"Anko-nee sent me a few, more powerful genjutsu to work on when not creating my own. I'll study them after working on my taijutsu and ninjutsu."

"You're gonna work on genjutsu _after_ working on nin and taijutsu?" Naruto asked in shock. "Who are you and what gave you done to our Hana-chan?"

The redhead shrugged. "I decided that both need work. Besides, genjutsu's pretty easy once you get the theoretical aspects down. The rest just requires a healthy dose of imagination."

The blond, much to Tsubame's amusement, looked unsure. "I'll send in as many clones as you need then."

He then added, "If you really are Kazehana," under his breath.

The redhead just rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

Just then, Tsubame's eyes locked onto something, and her eyes grew wide. Two seconds later, she was out the door, a cry of 'It's five twenty!' ringing around the room.

A second later, the apartment was empty and the door locked.

Their meeting time was currently five thirty.

When Anko said to meet and they showed up even a minute later than the appointed time, only Kami could plead mercy for them.

—~ ~—

A loud crash, followed by a series of groans, a sting of curses and, oddly enough, a quick prayer of Thanksgiving echoed around the quiet greenery of a certain training ground.

"Hm?" A woman sitting in a tree glanced down to the source of the commotion. "Oh look. You guys made it here... six seconds early."

The source of the noise, a tangled heap of bodies, just groaned.

"I guess I don't have to put you through the Hell Drills." The woman mused. "Though I might change my mind if I see you sprawled like-"

She never got to finish her sentence as the three were already up and alert.

She simply pouted. "Stupid brats not letting me tor- I mean train them as I wish. Fine, go do the workout. When you're done with the first half, I'll release the resistance seals completely so you can get used to moving without them."

"Understood!" All three saluted her and immediately began with the kilometer long warm up jog.

"So, Yūgao, do you think they noticed you?" The woman asked, seemingly speaking to herself until another woman appeared opposite her.

"You know that even Kakashi-sempai finds it difficult to find me when I cloak my presence." Yūgao replied. "The possibility that they noticed me is practically nonexistent."

"We'll have to ask them."

—~ ~—

 _ **Three Hours Later:**_

"All done?"

"Yup!" Naruto replied as he stretched his body, sighing in relief as his joints popped. "Whatcha got for us today, sensei?"

Anko stared at the three sweaty teens before her before speaking up. "Yūgao and I have been thinking and we decided that we've been wrong in our system of teaching."

She held up a palm to forestall any questions. "The truth is, we've been teaching you to be shinobi, not ninja."

The singular reply was a very intelligent 'huh?'

Anko sighed as she pulled out a piece of parchment and unfolded it. Pointing at the three kanji on it, she asked for their opinions.

"They're the same?" Kazehana ventured cautiously, the other two nodding in agreement.

"That's what it seems like." Anko nodded as she began to trace specific points of the writings. "However, the kanji to the left has a slightly elongated top stroke while the one on the right has a more pronounced curve to its lowest point."

Now that the differences were pointed out, the three nodded as they noted them.

"These two, the ones on the outside, seem like flawed copies of the one in the center." Naruto observed as his budding fūinjutsu began to show. "Not just that but the one on the one on the left seems to be an amalgamation of the one in the middle and the one on the right. The one in the center is the original, the basis while the one on the left is the final work."

"Something like that. Your foray into fūinjutsu seems to be pushing your brain to work harder. Good job Whiskers." Anko replied. "Now, the thing is, these specific kanji are, according to estimates from our cryptography unit, older than most writings in the world. They believe that these specific types of kanji are from a time before the age of the Rikudō Sennin."

The genin's eyes snapped open fully.

"S-so..." Tsubame stammered a bit. "We're essentially holding onto shards of a long forgotten past?"

"Essentially." Anko nodded. "But that's not why we're here. See, this kanji in the middle means 'shadow'. The kanji on the right and the one on the left mean 'stealth' and 'ninja' respectively. So, what does that imply to you?"

Kazehana, being the more brainy of the three, linked the dots first. "Whoever wrote this believes that ninja are to be stealthy and to be stealthy is to be... like the shadows..."

Anko smiled. "Very accurate description, Kazehana. Now, do you understand why I said Yūgao and I have been going about teaching you the wrong way?"

"Yeah..." Tsubame replied slowly as comprehension dawned on her. "You've taught us how shinobi of today fight: with jutsu, jutsu and more jutsu. We learnt in the Academy that ninja are about stealth and silence, and striking from shadows at our targets."

"Ninja are not to be seen but their actions, felt." Naruto stated, quoting one of the things Iruka had said back in class.

"Exactly. Very few practice this today and we agreed that you need to learn this now." Anko stated.

"As such, I'm here to teach you that." Yūgao finished as she seemingly appeared behind them.

"Wha-?" Naruto started in shock. "How long have you been seated there, Yūgao-sensei?"

"A few seconds after you sat." The former ANBU smiled. "I know you didn't sense me at all."

"Heck yeah!" Tsubame replied. "Was that a genjutsu?"

She just laughed. "No, Tsu-chan, it wasn't. That was a skill I learnt from Kushina-sensei, something she developed to aid her own kenjutsu abilities during her ANBU stint.",

"Woah..." The three genin were shocked. Such a skill must have been insanely difficult to learn yet almost unrivalled for an ANBU.

"Now, I know we've mentioned it a few times before, but let me quickly explain something to you." Yūgao started. "Killing intent is a chakra-enhanced psychological attack on an opponent. It is done by focusing your desire to harm, main and kill said opponent on him and then leaking a bit of your chakra to enforce the effect. Got that?"

They nodded.

"Good. Now, what Kushina-sensei taught me is the absolute reverse of that. To remove your presence from others is to remove your intent from yourself."

The stupid looks on their faces told the long-haired woman that her explanation had just gone over their heads. So she tried again.

"You know how you're sometimes in a busy place and you're not focused on your surroundings, you still seem to be able to notice when others are passing by and you seem to adjust to let them pass?"

They nodded.

"What you experience at that point is your mind being able to register that an 'intent' is coming your way. That intent may be as large as wanting to eat desperately or as fickle as wanting to reach a location without a specific timeframe in mind. The point is, there is an 'intent', a desire to attain a goal. Got that?"

They nodded slowly.

"Good. Now, if you're hyperfocused on a specific task or 'intent', your mind reduces the power to sense other, non-life threatening, 'intents', hence you end up hitting someone. However, when you are not in that 'hyperfocused' state, you can sense the 'intents' of others to a greater degree."

"Following." Kazehana spoke up and the other two nodded in agreement.

Yūgao nodded as she brought out a scroll from her weapons pouch. "Good. Now, what Kushina-sensei taught me was that if you can clear your mind of any intent of any sort, you can bypass that instinctive sensory ability of the mind."

"Of course!" Naruto's eyes widened. "That way you will be as important as a piece of paper to anyone not paying close attention!"

"Exactly!" Yūgao smiled as she unrolled the scroll. "However, that'll be a pastime training. Right now, my main focus is on your general stealth. From now on, for an hour after your workout, you'll change into these-" she unsealed three sets of clothes that looked extremely bright and obnoxious as the blond's old 'pranking' costume, "-and hide around. I'll find you and tell you your faults."

"Oh great." Tsubame groaned. "I'm not sure which is worse: knowing that my days just keep getting more and more tiring or knowing that I have to wear these shit suits."

"I'm done wearing mine." Naruto stated. "Let's get it on!"

—~ ~—

"Anyway, Gai-sensei then proceeded to show Lee how you can pre-plan your moves in a fight." Tenten shrugged as she dodged Naruto's clumsy swings. "Don't let them unbalance you. Get used to their weight."

"And how exactly am I to do that if you won't stand and let me hit you?" He cried out in frustration. "We've been at this for the past thirty minutes! Even Kuno's having an easier time trying to hit Kazehana!"

"Easy for you to say teme!" Said blonde female growled as Kazehana continued dodging her furious, yet sloppy, attacks.

"Am I the only one who thinks flopping around uselessly is the blond thing of the day?" Tsubame grinned as she slowly went through the kata of her martial art form.

"You seem to have a point, Tsubame-san." Hinata giggled as she also practiced her taijutsu kata.

"I'm gonna go with an agreement on that claim." Anko smirked as she popped a dango into her mouth. "Yūgao?"

The former ANBU took her eyes of her book to glance at the targets of the ribbing. "It seems so, Anko."

"All in favor of turning this day into 'Flopping Useless Blond' day, say aye!" Kazehana laughed.

"AYE!" Came the forest-shaking reply.

"Damn it!" Both blonds cried indignantly.

The spars continued, interspersed by lots of talking and playful ribbing until they all decided to stop for a break.

"So, Tenten, how'd I do?" Naruto asked as they sat under a tree.

"Well, you're not as horrible as I'd expect from a first-timer but you can definitely improve." The brunette replied. "I'd say for now, just stick with regular swings. Horizontal, vertical and diagonal for starters, to get used to the weight of them then mix the swings, styles and lengths, to get a solid feel for them. Get that down and I'll tell you what to do next."

"Alright." Naruto nodded in appreciation. "Thank you."

"So, Kazehana, what about me?" Kuno asked her sparring partner.

"Well, honestly, you suck." The redhead stated with a shrug. "Your form's crap, your speed is negligible and your strength is practically nonexistent. And that's to say nothing of your stamina. To a regular civilian, you're impressive. To anyone else..."

"Gee thanks." The blonde sounded a bit hurt, prompting the redhead to snake an arm around her shoulders.

"I know that sounded harsh but it had to be said. Now, the solutions.

"First off, get off your diet."

"How do you even know I'm on one?"

"You lack any true muscle and the few you gave are weak. You need to eat healthy and work out steadily. Trust me, you'll only gain more in the long run. My sensei eats dango as her primary staple yet she's got a figure most models would beg for.

Two: get your sensei to help you find your preference and work on it. If you're a genjutsu type like me then work on your skills there without neglecting your other skills. Start with those and we'll work out way up."

"Okay." Kuno nodded. "Off the diet, workout more and get a preference to work on. Got it."

"And chakra control exercises." Anko tossed in helpfully. "Don't forget those."

"Got it. Thanks."

"Ergh! Enough with the boring stuff!" Tsubame groaned before turning to face Hinata. "You, Missy, are not going to get away with hiding the good stuff. Not while I'm here."

Now, Hinata had developed quite nicely since becoming a genin and even more so thanks to team nine's influence. She was a bit bolder now, and was gradually coming to terms with the fact that she'd have to hurt others to protect her own loved ones.

All those changes, however, only showed when she was in the company of her close friends; team nine and her teammates.

They melted completely whenever she had to be the center of attention.

So, in typical fashion, she stared at the grass beneath her, fingers poking each other and face as red as a tomato's. "Um... What d-do you m-mean Tsubame-san?"

"Come on, Hinata." Kazehana prodded. "We've seen you practice your kata before. What you did today wasn't exactly what we know as jyūken."

"Very true..." Tenten nodded. "My teammate is a Hyūga and the few glimpses I had of your kata practice showed something different yet similar. Like your kata was... I dunno... Smoother..."

"Oh... Well... Um..." Her confidence seemed to drop even further into the ground when she noticed that she was the sole focus of everyone's attention.

It was Naruto, being quite the observant one when it came to people (though he still wouldn't spot female attraction if it bludgeoned him), that noticed her unease and spoke up about it. "Y'know, maybe Hinata-chan doesn't really wanna talk about her new skill until she had it down. I'm pretty sure it's a really badass technique that she just wants to master before showing us."

Now, to a regular person, the blond had just unwittingly created a cop out for her.

To Hinata? Naruto had just given her a huge boost of confidence.

"W-well, beforebefore N-Naruto-kun and his team left on their mission, Kazehana suggested that I find someone in the Clan that I could understudy. So, during the time you were away, I went to my aunt, Hitomi. She's the current head of the Branch house and-"

"Wait." Yūgao interrupted. "Hitomi Hyūga? As in, former ANBU captain of the Hunter-nin division?"

It was subtle but there was a small curve to Hinata's lips as she nodded. "She was my mother's best friend and was made my godmother. We've been close but for a while after mother's death, we were bit distant until we made up again. Then father began my training and we had to be distant again. At least we still met up once a week to talk.

"Anyway, I went to meet her and she agreed to help me. The kata you saw are her own variant of the regular jyūken. She developed it with my mother to cope with her own inadequacy in the jyūken style."

"That's why I recognized it." Yūgao nodded slowly. "It's the Suijin no Kencho."

"The 'manifestation of the Water God'?" Kuno asked. "What's that?"

"It's a unique variant of the jyūken that aunt Hitomi created." Hinata explained. "Like Naruto-kun and I, she's got an affinity for water. It's extremely rare in us Hyūga as most in the clan have earthen affinities but unfortunately for the few of us, our affinity somehow affects our efficiency in the regular jyūken style."

"That's easy to figure out." Naruto snorted. "Water and Earth forms Mud and that slows you down, making you feel like you're dragging your body through Mud."

"Perhaps... Well, my aunt created the Suijin no Kencho by combining the constant flow of Tai Chi with the jyūken, she created a taijutsu that completely relies on dodging opponent's attacks, flowing around them like water does and then striking fast and hard like the tsunami."

"Sounds very similar to Blondie's Nagareru Ken." Tsubame pointed out.

"Yes, it does." Yūgao agreed. "However, unlike the Nagareru Ken, the Suijin no Kencho doesn't have blocks. Naruto's style allows for blocks in the rare situation where it is absolutely necessary. Also, the Suijin no Kencho doesn't utilize kicks. The feet are completely grounded, simply shifting across the ground but rarely ever lifting off it."

"You know a lot about the style." Kuno said.

"Of course. Hitomi-sempai was my commanding officer during my stint with the Hunter-nin division." Yūgao shrugged. "I got to see her in action and we spoke about her style a lot. She even gave me a few pointers on how to use similar 'flowing' moves in conjunction with my kenjutsu."

Just then, amidst a swirl of leaves, a masked ANBU appeared. "Mitarashi-san. Yūgao-san." He inclined his head respectfully.

"Tenzō-san." Yūgao nodded back. She knew the ANBU before her as he was one of the Hokage's private guard when he wasn't out on missions.

"Mitarashi-san, Hokage-sama requires your prescence." He relayed his message.

Anko was on her feet immediately. "I will be there in five minutes."

The ANBU inclined his head again before disappearing in the same manner he had appeared.

"Well, sorry to cut this short but I need to move." Anko stated to the genin.

"I'll take that as my cue then." Tenten nodded. "I'll check in whenever I can."

"Same here." Kuno added as she walked away with the brunette. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem." Naruto smiled as he pulled on his black jacket.

"See you when we get back." Tsubame waved at the leaving pair.

"See you later." Hinata smiled as she hugged Kazehana. "Thank you for having me."

"Man, Hinata, you really need to learn how not to be so formal." Tsubame complained as she hugged the girl too.

"Get stronger okay, Hinata-chan?" Naruto smiled as he bumped fists with the heiress.

"I will." She replied before sprinting to catch up with the other two.

"Sensei?" Kazehana turned to Yūgao who had closed her novel.

"Anybody up for a C-rank mission?"

The three Benin grinned.

"Let's go."

—~ ~—

 _ **A Few Days Later;**_

 _ **Somewhere Around Yugakure...**_

"Naruto?" Sakura called as she knocked on his workshop door. Something strange was going on. She had just finished making ramen and he wasn't already at the table?

After knocking twice more, she flicked the door open with just a bit of her enhanced strength and walked in.

The Workshop, as they had taken to calling it, was the second of two rooms in the two-bedroom apartment Naruto had bought. Since they never had any visitors, he had turned the place into a 'lab' of sorts where he could work on his fūinjutsu. Papers were stacked up in orderly piles and almost every inch of the wall was covered in papers with different squiggles or kanji on them.

"Naruto?" She frowned now as she dropped the tray laden with his food on a table. He was seated at his workstation, hunched over scattered pieces of paper as he muttered something feverishly.

"Naruto!" She placed a hand on his shoulder to snap him out of his fit.

The next second, she was staring into cold, emotionless, blue eyes, eyes she hadn't seen since the Fourth Shinobi War of their time. She tried to swallow but stopped when she felt the sharpened edge of a kunai at her throat.

"Sa-Sakura?" He whispered as emotions flooded his eyes. Recognition, relief and then regret. "Sakura! I'm so sorry!"

He moved away from her quickly, apologizing profusely for his actions.

She just ignored all that, walked up to him and held his cheeks softly. "Naruto, what's going on?"

Her hold on him had her staring right into his eyes and so she saw the emotions as they flickered through. Pain. Regret again. Sadness.

And the one emotion she thought she'd never see when they made it into this timeline safely, an emotion Madara had evoked in everyone until they were all ensnared by his Tsuki no Me.

Fear.

"I... I've been going over the sealing array that brought us to this timeline." He started softly. "And I'm... Scared... Terrified."

She was confused. Why would he be terrified of something that worked so well?

She voiced her thoughts.

"I've been having transformed clones track team nine and Sasuke. During the mission to Nami, I discovered something that didn't fit with our timeline. Well, two things."

"What?"

"First off, Haku's supposed to be a guy right?"

She nodded.

"Well, Haku here's a girl." His voice was terse now. "Not only that but Haku's story in this timeline doesn't match that of our timeline."

"Explain."

"Haku, in our timeline, told me that his dad killed his mom when he realized that she was a bloodline wielder. He killed his own dad in self-defense. In this timeline, though, Haku's parents loved him... I mean, her, and they only died to protect her. Zabuza was sent to kill the last know Yuki but he changed his mind after observing them. He would have just left but they persuaded him to kill them but spare Haku because the next person sent might not be as kind as he was. Here, the entire reason Zabuza tried to assassinate Yagura was because observing the Yuki family made him realize how wrong the anti-bloodline campaign was."

That was a lot to take in. It had just shifted her entire belief about one of the things from their time. But still...

"What if this is the actual truth? What if it's the complete story we never knew in our time?"

"I thought so at first but I had to be sure so I began breaking down and rebuilding the entire time seal we used. Then, two days ago, a clone monitoring team nine dispelled. Remember Shibuki?"

"Taki's former coward turned brave leader?" She asked with a grin.

"Yeah..." He cracked a small smile before it disappeared, replaced by the worrisome look of consternation. "Only here, he's not a coward. He's brave as a lion and willing to fight for his people.

"Sakura, from what I've seen going through the sealing array, I may have taken us, not through time, but through space. To an alternate reality that flowed through time at a slower pace. My array must have latched on to this world and then inserted us into the time we came in. It may not seem different as a whole but... Individually, there are differences... I didn't return to save everyone, I left... I left them with that monster..."

Sakura held him tightly to herself as he began to shed tears, sorrows the likes of which she could barely imagine racking his mind.

She tried to think of something, anything to prove him wrong. Ultimately, she decided that the one person who could answer that was clinging to her, broken and unbalanced because of what he thought he had done.

She tried to think of what she could do to calm him down... Nothing seemed forthcoming until an old lullaby her mother had sung to her as a child resurfaced.

Sakura had, not long after becoming Naruto's partner, come to the conclusion that she had to be more that just a girlfriend or a wife to him. She had to be a mother as well.

She had to show him the nurturing love of mother, the kind that he had never experienced as a child due to the stigma of Kurama.

As such, she channelled all of the instinctual motherly love she had and began to sing to him:

' _Hush now, my baby,_

 _Be still love, don't cry..._

 _Sleep as you're_

 _rocked by the stream..._

 _Sleep and remember my last lullaby..._

The ramen grew cold, forgotten as both male and female succumbed to peaceful slumber after...

—~ ~—

Done.

To LavaCana:

Thanks for the awesome review! You have no idea how much it means to me!

Now, I have no idea how to change the summary so I'm gonna have to take a while to think of that.

This chapter pretty much belongs to you since I shifted it up to throw light on the things you pointed out. It was supposed to come in a while later, when a certain character asked how they got to know each other but I decided to put it here for ya. While hints are given as to how the three became friends, the full story's coming. Should land sometime during or after the Chūnin exam Arc.

Anything else? Nah, my brain's way too tired for me to think of anything else.

Read & Review Please.

The Ethereal Lord.


	15. Chapter 14

_**Altered**_

 _ **Chapter 14**_

"Katon: Ryūka!"

"Doton: Doryuheki!" Tsubame yelled as she slammed her hands into the ground, a thick wall of earth blocking off the incoming attack. "Blondie get her off me!"

CLANG!

The Kaguya's eyes widened as she turned to see an obsidian staff holding off a silvery katana from bifurcating her.

"Kinda busy at the moment." The blond grunted as he pushed his opponent back while simultaneously creating two clones to join him on the attack, leaving his silver haired teammate to herself.

Tsubame swore as she shot away from the erected wall and into the forest. They'd been battling on and off now for the past hour, pitting their skill against the two that had hounded them.

It was just supposed to be a relaxing trip into the forests around the village. Sure they weren't to exceed the sensory field and all those other rules but it had been fun to simply take a day off training and missions.

Then, the first attack in the form of a hail of shuriken had disrupted their quiet musings. It had only been Naruto's enhanced hearing that gave them the split-second warning to get the hell out of dodge. From then on, it had been a string of short, swift and highly intense battles with the pressure always on her team.

"On your left!" She spun about instantly, projecting bone spike of approximately kunai length from her wrist as she went, and slashed violently at the source of the sound.

An amused chuckle rang through the forest as the body she'd sliced burst into water. "Too tense ojou-sama. Try to relax..."

Only months of experience with two of the most sadistic sensei it was possible to have had her snap-rolling to her right, wincing as she felt the kunai whiz over her back and sail on into the forest.

"Raiton: Raikyu!" A familiar voice yelled, accompanied by a crackling sound and the stench of ozone before Tsubame felt someone grab the collar of her dress. A split-second of feeling her insides pulling at her abruptly and she was deposited on the edge of a river bank.

"Sorry but we need to have them out here in the open." A lightly tanned hand appeared in the field of her vision.

She took it and felt her teammate pull her up. "Thanks for the save. Damn, they're not holding back much are they?"

Her redheaded friend just shrugged, her eyes never pausing as they darted around the forest a few meters away. She had bruises covering most of her face and her clothes were mostly torn up. And that was not to speak of her hair.

'Though I doubt if I look any better.' Tsubame thought as she stood back-to-back with her friend. They may have had a wide river behind them but she knew just how unpredictable their opponents could be. "Why aren't they here yet?"

"I set up a wide net of traps while I was concealed." Kazehana answered. "Thought it would slow them down."

"Seems to be working-"

Her words were cut off as their final teammate dived out of the forest, spinning as he came, to land in a crouch right beside them.

"Hana! Charge me! Suiton: Mizurappa!"

A violent stream of water rocketed from the river beside them toward the spot he'd just come from. Without missing a beat, the redhead flashed through her own seals before landing on the tiger seal. "Raiton: Byakurai!"

A blindingly bright flash of lightning shot out of her fingers as she stretched them toward the flowing waters. The power of the blond's jutsu practically quadrupled as the bolt of lightning hit the water which proceeded to decimate the target area.

"That could have hurt." A shadowy figure mused to their right just as another flash of light split the air, this more subdued than the first.

CLANG!

For the umpteenth time that day, Naruto's staves managed to intercept a blade meant for one of his teammates. Tapping into just a bit of the Kyūbi's chakra, he pushed back with his left arm while diving forward, aiming to follow up with his right.

"Doton: Tsuchi no Yari!" Tsubame's foot hit the ground and, in response, an earthen spear shot out. With practiced ease, the silver haired genin grabbed it and hurled it in the opposite direction just in time to nail a larger-than-average python to a tree.

"Ouch! There goes Gi-chan! Good thing I brought back up!" An almost obnoxiously childish voice rang through the clearing just as a wave of snakes _poured_ out of the forest.

"Bitch please!" Kazehana scoffed as she flew through handseals in tandem with her teammate.

"Kanashibari!"

"Katon: Kasui!"

The snake froze for a second, more than long enough for the fire stream to wash over them.

POOF!

Kazehana flashed through a new set of handseals, getting ready to unleash her techniques on their opponent as Tsubame projected blades from her palms and elbows, waiting to wade into a taijutsu battle should the situation call for it.

Both were tense as they waited for the smoke from the forced summon-cancellation to disperse.

Their bodies were already on the move as their eyes widened.

Tsubame had been right to keep her eyes on the water. Too bad she'd been manipulated into taking them off for _just_ a little bit of time.

Their opponent was on them in a flash, stabbing downward at Kazehana with a kunai.

Being the most proficient at genjutsu in her team was not a title the redhead was planning to give up though, as their opponent found out when the kunai was caught by... something...

Unfortunately, said opponent's foot shot out like a bullet, catching the redhead with a vicious kick that sent her flying. "Not bad, catching me in an illusion to make me see 'A' as 'B' and vice versa. Even more impressive that she caught me so swiftly seeing as I had the drop on you two." The now revealed Anko said nonchalantly as she increased the pressure on Tsubame. "You guys are getting good!"

The genin didn't comment as she dropped down and lashed out with a foot aimed at her sensei's ankle. She wasn't surprised that the jōnin hopped lightly over it, instead taking the moment to roll back and try to get some space. She couldn't use her bone bullets in what amounted to a training session, particularly when she had a teammate in the same direction the bullets would fly to. Not when she knew she could drill through a pig's skull, flesh and all, with little to no effort.

'And that's not taking Anko dodging into account.' She scowled as she felt someone's back hit hers. Blondie's, judging by the ragged gasps. "Shit not going too well?"

"Not even close." Came the tired response. "Ninjutsu, taijutsu, bukijutsu, I've been getting my ass whipped on all fronts. "And that's without her weaving in genjutsu."

"Wanna switch?" Tsubame noted Anko pointing to her ears and she just wanted to roll her eyes. 'Yes, we know you can hear us.'

"Gladly."

The words had barely left her teammates's lips before she rolled back, spining as she rose to face her second sensei.

Uzuki Yūgao had donned her ANBU mask, her eyes shining brightly through the eyeholes as she watched her new opponent grab the bony spike projected from her elbow and pull it out, the spike elongating as it was pulled until it reached the length of an average katana before simply tapering and snapping off the joint.

"Let's see if I've learnt anything." The Kaguya stated calmly as she settled into her clan's kenjutsu stance; the Hone Kiri.

Bit on the nose, maybe, but it was apt.

On the other half of this fight, Anko grinned lazily as she unsealed her chained tantō, lazily swinging and swaying about all of her blond genin's attacks before diving back. Gripping her weapon firmly, she swung the left tantō in hypnotizing circles as she watched him steel himself for the fight to come. "Ready for this, gaki? I ain't gonna hold back so much."

He just shot forward, leading with his right arm as he got into range.

—~ ~—

"Holy shit you guys are getting good." Anko praised her team as they collapsed underneath the HQTree. "Tsubame, Naruto, good job on holding Yūgao and I off for so long! Five minutes against two jōnin in close combat is pretty damned impressive."

"Indeed." The former ANBU nodded in agreement. "While we may not have gone all out against you, you showed that you could deal with increasing levels of pressure. And Kazehana, excellent work on your genjutsu."

"Red, if you continue like this you'll be a bitch to go up against a few years from now." Anko mused. "I mean honestly! You kept ensnaring us in the most annoying illusions."

"Nausea inducing, vertigo inducing, temporary blindness, flash bangs, that's a pretty good set you've got there." Yūgao added. "And with your really quick casting time, it makes dispelling them effective time-wasters."

"And so you guys passed this test!" Anko grinned. "Know what that means?"

"We get to rest?" Tsubame deadpanned.

"Huh." Anko turned to her fellow purple-haired kunoichi. "Here I thought they'd be happy to learn the shunshin."

"Wait what?!" Naruto hopped to his feet in excitement.

Yūgao shrugged boredly as she flipped a page of the new romance novel she'd bought a few days ago. "Guess you were wrong."

"No!" The blond dropped into the dogeza position, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please Anko-sama, Yūgao-sama! Look favourably on this humble peasant and listen not to the blasphemies of this heathen! Grace this humble one with the majestic wisdom of your prodigious knowledge! I beg of thee!"

Cue crickets, random bird twittering and sweatdrops.

Really big sweatdrops.

"Geez Blondie, melodramatic much?"

"Heh, sorry."

"Ah well, I liked the whole 'Anko-sama' bit-"

Tsubame scoffed. "Course you- Mph!"

The end of her undoubtedly sarcastic statement would forever remain unheard as two hands slapped over her mouth.

"Please continue sensei." Kazehana smiled all-too-innocently as she bit back the snarl bubbling in her throat. Her damned stupid silver haired friend was currently gnawing none-too-gently on her palm. 'I just had to be faster than Naruto this time!'

Anko seriously loved her team especially their interactions. "Anyways, the Shunshin: a short to mid-range transportation technique that results in almost instantaneous movement. Yūgao, let 'em know how it works eh?"

The former ANBU took a second to notch the edge of the page she was at before snapping the book shut. "Well, as you heard, the shunshin results in nigh-instant movement to locations within a range solely dependent on the user's chakra capacity. The question, undoubtedly, on Kazehana and Tsubame's tongue, being 'why?' Well, the answer to that is equally simple _yet complex._

"You see, utilizing the shunshin requires a few steps to be taken. One: coat your body with a fine sheen of chakra. Not too thick, not too thin. Step two: lock your chakra onto your target destination. Three:use your chakra to create a 'tunnel' between your origin and destination locations. Four: use the chakra coat to propel yourself in this tunnel straight toward your target and reverse the push to stop moving. The near total lack of air resistance, coupled with the boost from the sudden, almost explosive release of chakra will propel you in your chosen direction almost instantly."

"Of course, there are downsides to the shunshin." Anko continued. "The first is that you're tied to straight-line motions. The more skilled at it you get, the better your chances of pulling off instant rebounds to change directions but the linear rule applies.

The second ties to the first: since you're always moving in a line, a skilled sensor may be able to detect your destination. A particularly swift and keenly skilled sensor may even be able to disrupt the technique by injecting his own chakra to cut you off your exit. Should that happen, you'll drop out of the 'tunnel' abruptly which can jar your senses.

Third one: you'll suffer a swift but sharp bout of tunnel-vision upon exit, resulting in a bout of disorientation. I don't have to tell you how bad that can be right? Particularly if things head downhill for a short while? As such, if you aren't used to it, heck even if you are, it's still not a viable battle jutsu. No, the shunshin is almost uniquely suited for those 'get the hell out of dodge situations."

"You had me at 'almost instantaneous movement'." Naruto grinned broadly. "Let's get going!"

"About that... There will be a catch for you, Whiskers." Anko sounded serious now. "For this jutsu you are completely restricted from using your kage bunshin to learn it."

Naruto blinked owlishly. "Why?"

"Because we believe that you've become too reliant on the technique for learning." Yūgao replied. "While we do fully understand the merit of your unique learning style, you might be thrust into situations where you cannot utilize that system. As such, we've decided that every once in a while, we'll be tossing a technique or two at the three of you that you, Naruto, must learn entirely on your own."

"There will be incentive, though." Anko smiled at the three. "For example, the genin promotion exams come up in three weeks. If you can utilize the shunshin at least passably, then you will be registered for it."

Tsubame, whose mouth had been released by her teammates a while back, narrowed her eyes at the challenge. "What are the criteria for utilizing the technique passably?"

"Distance relative to your chakra reserves and speed of execution both under and not under pressure." Yūgao answered.

All three genin glanced at each other before grinning simultaneously. "Deal."

"Well, the rest of the day's off for you guys." Anko yawned as she stood. "Yūgao and I have some catching up to do with some friends. See ya at the usual time!"

Tsubame turned to her friends as their sensei left amidst swirls of leaves. "Hana, we need to know everything about the shunshin, particularly how to do it and the average distance of a shunshin per chakra reserve. Can you head over to the library?"

"Sure thing." The redhead nodded. "Sona-san will be on duty right about now so I might get to read through a few advanced books. And you guys?"

"Blondie will head over to the Twin Rising Dragons to pick up our supplies and I'll head home, deal with the chores and make dinner so we can all get to studying early."

"Got it."

—~ ~—

 _ **A Week Later:**_

 _ **Konohagakure; Hokage Tower.**_

"Hokage-sama, here are the bi-weekly reports on the rookie genin teams." Rangiku said as she carefully dropped the files in her arms onto the village leader's table. "The reports of Inoichi-san and Ibiki-san on the two captive Kiri kunoichi, Ameyuri Ringo and Yūki Haku are also there."

The aged Hokage glanced at the load of incoming files and sighed softly. "Can I get a quick summary of the team's progress?"

The blonde secretary nodded. "According to the files, Hatake Kakashi has relented on the training for his team due to the upcoming chūnin exams. He has expressed interest in further advancing Uchiha Sasuke's training should the Uchiha heir make it to the finals. He also reports that the second teammate, Kuno, has shown greater advances in her skills and might be joining in the advanced training should they make it past the second stage of the exams. Unfortunately, Haruno Sakura remains steadily uninterested in actively learning beneficial kunoichi skills.

"Team eight, under Yūhi Kurenai remains steady in their training. According to her reports, Hinata Hyūga has shown quite a considerable jump in skills over the past couple of weeks. Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, not wanting to be left behind, have also increased their training.

"Team ten reports steady growth with no significant change in their skills or interest."

"And Anko's team?"

Save for a slight twitch of her lips, Rangiku's face remained stoic. "While Kaguya Tsubame and Misora Kazehana seem to have improved a bit since the mission to Nami, Uzumaki Naruto seems to have hit a ceiling. His skills, while not as bad as before, are still nothing impressive."

The Sandaime sighed. To anyone watching, he seemed to be tired of the seeming lack of progress of the blond. Rangiku was very sure he was more concerned with the fact that his paperwork never seemed to reduce. "I feel I might have pushed too soon. Perhaps an additional year as an Academy student would have done him some good."

"All isn't lost, Hokage-sama." Rangiku stated. "With the upcoming Chūnin Exams, the ones with flagging interest will be inspired enough to work harder toward the next exams."

"Perhaps..." The old man sighed again before reaching for the file on the Kirigakure kunoichi. After a quick perusal of the file, he spoke up: "So, Ringo-san aided Zabuza because of Yagura's bloodline purge..."

"So it seems." Rangiku confirmed. "From the report, Zabuza was ordered to kill the last of the Yūki clan, Haku-san's family. After observing the family for a few days, he deemed the order wrong and was willing to be labeled as a missing-nin. However, the head of the family spotted him and, knowing of the purges, pleaded for his daughter's safety in exchange for his and his wife's death.

"Zabuza agreed and killed the two elder Yūki while taking young Haku with himself. From then on, he sought to take out the Mizukage. Ameyuri Ringo, whose eyes were opened a while later, joined his crusade. Unfortunately, their attempt was foiled and they were forced into a life on the run." The blonde woman concluded to which the Hokage nodded.

"Ringo-san admits that while she would like to work with Konoha, her heart lies with Mizu no Kuni and she seeks to return home. However, she has pledged her loyalty to Konoha until she believes a sane Mizukage rises to power." Hiruzen read off the report. "A very good deal, especially since Inoichi confirms her honesty. Haku, on the other hand, desires to stay here."

Rangiku's calm office façade slipped for a moment as she scoffed. "Won't the Council be pleased. The Hyōton bloodline comes to Konoha. In addition to Kaguya Tsubame's Shikotsumyaku, that's two bloodlines in about a year."

"Indeed they will." The Hokage smiled. "Prepare a letter addressed to the head of the Institute for Disease Research through the office of the head of the Konoha General Hospital. I want him to see me as regards Ameyuri Ringo's ailment."

"Understood, Hokage-sama. The report from the Archaeological Research Unit regarding the recovered Uzumaki treasures from Gatō's safe is in." The blonde hesitated here, sparking the interest of the aged Hokage.

"Something wrong, Rangiku?"

"Sir..." she hesitated again before steeling herself. "Sir, the value for the artifacts alone total well over a hundred million ryō. The scrolls nearly sixty million."

Save for a slight lifting of an eyebrow, Hiruzen expressed no reaction. "Of course they would be so valuable. The Uzumaki were a highly isolated clan, shrouded in secrecy."

"The council just scored." Rangiku muttered. "They'll just seize all the goods, pretend like team nine were never part of the mission and split the profits amongst themselves and the Uchiha."

"Not if I have anything to do about it." The Kage smirked. "Send a letter to Doctor Hanare to keep the results to her unit. Nobody else is permitted to know about this. In the meantime, prepare a transfer of ownership scroll, indicating an ownership change of the Uzumaki scrolls from Konohagakure to Uzumaki Naruto and another for half the artifacts from Uzumaki Naruto to Konoha.

"Finally, split the monetary proceeds retrieved from the mission in this order: sixty percent to be shared evenly between the genin on the mission and forty percent between the jōnin."

Rangiku's smile was almost feral. "Understood, Hokage-sama"

"And call in the jōnin sensei. It's time to ascertain which teams will be participating in this year's exams."

—~ ~—

Hatake Kakashi snapped his infamous orange book shut as he walked into the Glade. While he honestly wanted to know if Issei and Rias would get together after months of playing around, Icha Icha High School could wait. It was time for his daily ritual.

He had chosen this exact time because he knew that no one else came here at this time.

Which was why it was so much of a shock when he heard quiet whispers coming from the Memorial Stone.

Drawing on all of his steath abilities, he closed in on the person. He had to investigate as he was damned sure that the person crying wasn't someone he knew and in his world, that was cause for concern. Particularly when said mysterious person smelled of snakes.

As he closed in, the person whipped around, swinging a kunai at his neck.

It stopped a fraction of an inch from his neck.

"Kakashi? The fuck are you doing sneaking around?"

Th laid back man gently pushed the pointed weapon away from his neck and arched an eyebrow. "I noticed something out of place and so I decided to investigate. I didn't think that would warrant me almost getting my throat slit Anko."

The purple haired kunoichi pulled back, carrying the kunai along with it into the recesses of the black hooded cloak she wore. "What, I'm such a wallflower that you couldn`t recognize me in a slightly different coat?"

"You are nowhere near a wallflower Anko. Trust me on that." Kakashi replied with a shrug. "And while I did recognize your very peculiar scent, I decided to err on the side of caution since you're not exactly famous for wearing your heart on your sleeve."

Neither of them spoke for a while, just standing and enjoying the cool breeze of the Memorial Glades until the cyclopean jonin spoke up.

"So, what brought you over here?"

The purple haired woman arched an eyebrow. "What, I can't even take a break from the noise in the village?"

"You usually head over to the Forest of Death for that."

"Hence my coming here." Anko shrugged. "I got too predictable for my own liking. Plus, the Forest's off-limits for now."

"And the tears?" Kakashi prodded.

Anko froze for a split-second before shrugging. "Pollen count must be off the chart."

Kakashi nodded as she walked off. Whatever the problem was, it was clear that she did not want to share, a fact that relieved him as he had too much on his plate to want to add anyone else's.

So it came as a shock to him when he felt himself ask if she wanted to spar.

"Why?" She seemed almost suspicious of the question, like she wanted to know why he'd ask her for something as a spar.

Even though he hadn't meant to ask in the first place, his mind had almost instantly provided answers.

"Well, you told me about how you wanted to move to at least mid-level A-rank by the end of the chūnin exams right?" she nodded slowly, not seeing a connection yet. "Well, I can tell for a fact that I've regressed since my time in the ANBU. In fact, I'd hazard a guess and say the only reason I'm still holding an S-rank's cause I haven't actually been out in a while and, while I have returned to some seriously intense training regimes, I'd like to know where I stand. So, let's spar."

"Why not go to Gai? He's your 'Eternal Rival' ain't he?"

Kakashi just arched an eyebrow, as if to say 'have you forgotten who Gai is?'

Anko held the suspicious look a tad longer. Herself and Kakashi hadn't exactly run in the same circles so why the sudden offer?

Then again, it wouldn't hurt to see how she stood up beside him…

"Fine." she agreed. "But only for an hour. I leave in two hours for Fuyuki."

"What's in Fuyuki?"

"Not what, who." Anko grinned ferally. "And said who just crossed the wrong people."

—~ ~—

 _ **Two Weeks Later...**_

"Huh. Who knew we had a training ground this big within the walls?" Naruto wondered as he glanced around the large clearing they'd walked into, surreptitiously gauging the atmosphere around. Loads of genin milled about, the morning sun glinting off their headbands. "Makes sense that they'd use a place like this for the first stage."

Beside him, his teammates nodded as they, like him, scanned the crowd. "None of our fellow graduands seem to have shown up." Tsubame noted.

"Only because this entire thing seems too troublesome for one to show up early." A familiarly lazy voice drawled.

Naruto turned to the source and bowed mockingly. "Cloud Watcher-sama. What portents hast thou seen in yonder blue skies?"

"The day will be troublesome, the tests will be troublesome and young Yamanaka by my side will be troublesome as soon as the Uchiha makes known his presence." Shikamaru replied, sounding as bored as ever but with a small grin tugging at his mouth.

Ino, who had been searching for her 'true love', had only heard the words 'Uchiha' and 'presence' and was just noticing the members of team nine. "Oh hey Tsubame! Kazehana!"

"Now she notices us." Kazehana smiled at the platinum blonde. "What's up miss diva?"

"Not much just- EEP!" Ino squealed as a blur bounced off her shoulder and into Tsubame's hands.

"Akamaru!" The Kaguya laughed as she held the enthusiastically squirming dog away from her face. "Good to see you too buddy! Where's your mutt?"

"Oh haha!" Kiba grunted as he joined the group. "Apparently you're still his third favorite human. Nice to know you still love me Akamaru."

The mutt barked happily at its partner before jumping out of its current holders hand to land in his hair.

"It's good to see that you all are in good health." Shino stated stoically before turning to Shikamaru and bowing much like Naruto had done. "Cloud Watcher-sama."

"Good to see you too Shino." The Nara sighed. "Though I wonder when you and the troublesome prankster will stop with the 'Cloud Watcher' gig."

"When Cloud Watcher-sama stops watching the majesty of the great white clouds in yonder skies." Naruto and Shino replied in perfect stereo.

"Sasuke-kun!" Into yelled before jumping onto the back of said Uchiha which, of course, had the troublesome effect of triggering a yelling match between herself and her 'rival in love'.

"Or when they get over that." Hinata added dryly, triggering a round of sniggers that left Kuno baffled until she was brought into the know.

"Uh, excuse me?" Their mirth was interrupted by the hesitant words of a lanky, glasses wearing man standing just a few feet from them. The Konoha hitai-ate proudly displayed on him deflected most of the animosity they'd have had to the stranger considering that they were in the midst of strangers. "Sorry for cutting in but you guys are drawing in quite a bit of attention which, honestly speaking, is not the best of ideas here."

Naruto was fully on guard when the winds shifted and he caught the scent of snakes, blood and... disinfectant? The fact that the scent traced back to the mysterious guy had him narrowing his eyes imperceptibly.

"And you are?" Kiba snarled at the guy.

"Yakushi Kabuto." The stranger replied with a small smile. "I'm a genin like you though I also work at the general hospital here in the village whenever I have spare time."

'That explains the blood and disinfectant. But the snakes? No, particularly not when he smells of the same snakes Mizuki reeked of.' Naruto thought as the older genin talked about his experiences and his cards.

"Let's see, why don't I give you guys a heads up and show you info on some of the more dangerous opponents you'll have to face?" He shuffled through the cards and, crouching as he picked one, slapped it onto the ground. "The top contenders for the finals this year include two outstanding nin; Uchiha Sasuke and Hyūga Neji, a terrifying Suna shinobi-kunoichi duo in the form of Sabaku no Gaara and Sabaku no Temari, and, interestingly, a lazy genius in Shikamaru Nara. Who would you like to know more about?"

"The Hyūga and the Suna candidates." Sasuke stated.

"And on Naruto just for shits and giggles." Kiba barked out a laugh.

"Coming right up." Four blank cards were tossed onto the ground in record time before Kabuto touched the first card. "Hyūga Neji of Team Three, current genius of the famed Hyūga clan, teammates: Higarashi Tenten and Rock Lee; jōnin sensei: Maito Gai. Missions: 91 D-class, 53 C-class and, interestingly, 4 B-class. Notes: Exceedingly skilled at jyūken.

"Sabaku no Gaara: unknown team number, teammates double as siblings: Kankurō (note- puppeteer) and Temari (note- wind mistress; watch out for fan). Jōnin sensei unknown. Missions: Unknown. Notes: rumored to have been on S-class missions and returned without injury, rumored to have impenetrable defense. Personal advice to you guys, might want to avoid this guy.

"Sabaku no Temari shares the same stats as her teammates so we'll skip to the notes: rumored to have been on S-class missions, rumored to have signed a summon contract, known to have devastating wind style techniques.

"And finally, Uzumaki Naruto of team nine, teammates: Kaguya Tsubame (shikotsumyaku?) and Misora Kazehana; jōnin sensei: Mitarashi Anko. Missions- okay this is interesting. A B-class mission pre-graduation, 51 D-class, 23 C-class and 2 A-class missions? Wow!"

The last tidbit had the team nine members frowning inwardly.

'Impossible!' Kazehana frowned upon hearing the last tidbit of information while Sakura laughed at the impossibility of the missions records. 'Even if he some how got access to Natuto's pre-genin records, our mission to Taki was completely off the books, according to Hokage-sama. Only Shibuki, Fū, our team and Genma-san know about that. Something is really off here.'

"Excuse me, Yakushi-san," she started, "may I ask how you created these? And how you got the information on them?"

"Well, the first has to remain my secret, I'm afraid, but the second, well, being as old as I am, I get to hear rumors and such. Plus, working in the hospital means I get access to some files."

"Then your knowledge must be skewed." A muffled voice stated behind them. Turning, they came to face a figure wrapped in bandages. "Otogakure will sweep this exam."

A nasty sneer crossed Kabuto's face as he shielded the rookies while facing the speaker. "An oto nin? Do yourself a favour and drop out. You have no-"

The rest was cut off as he dodged a hastily thrown punch. "Best you-"

Abruptly, the young man's glasses shattered and he held his ears in pain. However, before any comments could be made, an earth-shaking rumble quaked the field before an elevated platform rose to about four feet off the ground.

Then, an overpowering feeling of pure _bloodlust_ struck the genin within the training ground, all but smashing them into the earth beneath their feet.

'Holy shit!' Naruto thought as he managed to look up to see the newcomers on the raised dais. 'What the hell?'

As abruptly as it had started, the pressure let up and gasps were heard all around the field.

"Huh, and these are the idiots meant to become chūnin? They might as well just quit." A masked ANBU stated boredly as he stood back. Beside him, a wild haired woman with red marking down her cheeks stepped forward, a huge dog beside her.

A single, terrifying bark silenced the genin.

"Thank you Kuromaru." The woman addressed the dog pointedly, subtly letting them know that the dog was more worthy of her attention than they. "So, I am Inuzuka Tsume, proctor of this first exam. As you all should _undoubtedly_ have noted but haven't, one member of your team is missing."

Cue frantic search, yells and angry shouts at the proctor.

Another bark from Kuromaru silenced them all.

"Now," Tsume continued, unfazed by their actions. "There is a clue to the location of your teammate attached to one of the remaining two. Figure out the message and use it to find your teammate. Upon finding your teammate, you will find one half of the clue to where the next test will be holding in the surrounding area. The other half of the clue will be said by the captors of your teammates within their hearing range.

The test is simple: find the missing teammate and decipher the clues to the location of the next test. Those who are able to complete the task and register at the location for the next test within two hours will be allowed to participate in the next test. Enjoy yourselves." The Inuzuka matriarch smirked at the confused brats before taking off in a shunshin.

"Naruto, get us out of here!" Kazehana yelled over the din of yelling genin.

A few seconds later, they were standing in a different, empty clearing.

"Well shit." Naruto growled angrily as he paced around his redheaded teammate. "This is where team eight would almost easily excel."

"Cause they are trackers? Found it! Stay still." She said as she reached up to his collar and pulled the slip of paper she found out.

"Yeah. With Kiba's nose, Hinata's eyes and Shino's bugs... Finding their partner would be almost too easy. What does it say?"

"It's a symbol with a bunch of numbers scribbled at the bottom." She turned to face him. "Does this mean anything to you?"

The symbol was a pretty simple one: a large S with a slightly smaller L overlapping it and a roughly drawn circle around it. Beside the symbol were the numbers four, three and six, all evenly spaced apart.

"I got nothing." The blond sighed before creating fifty clones, each holding the clue. "Think it over guys!"

"This is definitely going to prove to be annoying." Kazehana muttered darkly, earning a confused look from her blond teammate. "They chose the weakest link in a test like this to be the prisoner."

"How so?"

"If they'd chosen you, then your enhanced senses would pick up whatever they said or, if they'd picked me, I would have it easier to remember anything they'd have said." The redhead said as a look of realization dawned on her blond teammate.

"But with neither advantage, Tsubame might be hard pressed to give us the clues we'd need."

"Exactly. They took Kiba, Sakura and Ino too." Kazehana informed her teammate as a clone walked over to join them.

"Yo boss! I kinda figured that this looks a bit like the sign for Nate-baa-chan's place."

"Wait a-" the original held up the paper. "Well damn! Thanks! Now you guys should dispel. I'll head over there with Hana-chan."

With a short salute, the clones dispelled in groups of five.

"What did the clone mean?"

"Well, you know how you and Tsu-chan never wanted to get involved in my pranks so you could deny knowing about any of my escape routes?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I discovered, totally by accident, the Silent Lounge, a very quiet hotel that caters to the needs of the less... financially bouyant. Turns out that cutting through the window of room 424 and coming out of the main doors can allow me to bypass the Theatre and circle back to the Hinoko Spa and Hot Springs, allowing me free access to the Hinoko and Taiyō Intersection."

"No wonder you were never caught. That's a free pass in itself." The redhead seemed impressed. "From that intersection you can get to just about any district in Konoha."

"Yep. Anyway, on my first trip thought the hotel, Nate-baa-chan caught me. I was shaking at first until she told me how much she enjoyed my pranks. Long story short, I got a free pass through her building whenever I gave her the heads up and she got a certified 'never gonna be pranked' promise. Anko-sensei knows about it."

"Which is why we're getting sent there." The redhead smirked. "Let's move!"

—~ ~—

"Kami damn it to hell!" The girl snarled as she pushed her feet against the ceiling to no avail, her hair swaying beneath her.

Kaguya Tsubame was pissed.

It wasn't because she was left hanging from the rafters in a strange room, though her anger had doubled upon realizing that fact.

It wasn't the fact that whoever had tied her up had to have a decent idea of her abilities, considering the fact that she couldn't use her Shigan lest she destroy her palms in the process.

No, she was pissed because, after all the training they'd been thorough, she had been separated from her team so damned easily.

It was a hell of a smooth job, that much she would admit. One second she was wondering about that glasses-wearing genin, the next, she was all but paralyzed by a powerful surge of killing intent. And, in that split-second of weakness, she felt a sharp pain in her neck, forcing her body to lock up before being dragged underground.

Her captors, consummate professionals as they were, had lead her through the village without giving her a chance to see their faces. Then, she blacked out for a while before waking up to the sounds of her captors mumbling something about 'the next generation's learning site', and herself dangling from the ceiling of the room she was stuck in, hands wrapped around the chains and tightly bound.

"Kami damn those bloody-" she paused her angry rant as the sounds of footsteps reached her ears.

"-should be in here!" Warped voices filtered in through the locked door and she instantly let go of the chains, flipping as she fell to land in almost the same position she was stuck in when her captors left. Letting her head drop, she assumed the position of an unconscious captive, waiting for the slightest chance for freedom she could find...

—~ ~—

"Hold on, Hana-chan," Naruto's arm shot out to halt his friend's movement. They were standing down the hall from room 436, trying to look casual and relaxed while their eyes watched everyone in the hall closely. "We need to be careful. We have no clue if the room's been trapped. I have a clone moving through the ventilation shafts to get a top down view of the inside of the room and a second to secure the outer window. Once they've relayed the necessary information, we'll move in."

Just then, the blond received the memories of two clones. "Well shit."

"What is it? Is she here?"

"She's here alright. The room's shielded by concealment seals so the ventilation clone can't see in. Two backup clones are currently impersonating housekeepers and are about to go in."

The redhead nodded as she mentally juggled her concern for her teammate, worry about the test and scrutiny of the passersby simultaneously.

"Safe. Let's go."

The two genin, currently disguised as brunette siblings, walked to the room and let themselves in.

"Tsubame!" Kazehana cried as she ran forward to assist Naruto in undoing the silver-haired girl's constraints.

"Hey Hana. I'm okay, really." The Kaguya smiled at her friend as she rubbed at her wrists. "Well, a little sore but okay otherwise."

"We need to understand the next clue and get to the location fast." Naruto stated as he looked around the room. "We lost time searching through rooms four, three, six and the others."

Tsubame looked baffled. "Wait what do you mean by that?"

Realizing that their teammate was not aware of the situation, Naruto and Kazehana quickly filled her in on the goings-on since she'd been taken.

"Well, the only thing that I recall them saying had to do with a learning site. Precisely 'the next generation's learning site'." Tsubame supplied after a few moments of thought. "I figured they were after Konohamaru or something since he attends the Academy and they didn't want to say it directly..."

All three looked at each other.

"The Konohagakure Ninja Academy." They stated simultaneously.

"Boss!" A clone called from the bathroom. "Think I've got the second clue!"

All three genin piled into the room to see the 'housekeeper' pointing to the mirror. On it, neatly attached with adhesive tape, was a paper bearing the numbers '301'.

However, before they could celebrate, two loud 'thumps' echoed through the suite.

"No!" Naruto yelled as he dove into the now substantially darkened main room. The door had been shut and the windows, locked with blinds drawn. "Oh come on! Hana-chan, how long till the deadline?"

"Twenty-six minutes." She replied instantly. "Any ideas how to get out?"

The blond pointed up. "Vent shafts."

—~ ~—

As the three genin of team nine approached the Academy, Kazehana paused. Something felt... off...

"You okay Hana-chan?" Naruto asked as he noticed her lagging behind.

"Not sure..." She murmured. "Let's just keep going. Tell you if anything comes up."

With that, the three walked into the institution and made their way up to the designated room. The doors were wide open and they could already see quite a number of teams milling about inside. Naruto and Tsubame were just about to walk in when they were yanked back by their third teammate.

"Genjutsu." She whispered as she moved them back to the stairway.

"What?"

"Genjutsu." The redhead reiterated. "A really subtle one. Remember when I felt weird just after stepping onto the Academy grounds?"

"Yeah?"

"That was because I was just barely able to sense the foreign chakra entering my system. It's a slight focus disruption genjutsu that hampers one's ability to notice small details. For example: how many flights of stairs did we climb?"

"Three." Was the unanimous answer.

"Look down."

Both did and, much to their shock, saw only two.

"Guess we're going up." Tsubame blinked owlishly. "Thank you Kazehana."

"Thank Anko-sensei. If it wasn't for her lessons on ambient chakra and genjutsu we'd all be trapped." The redhead shrugged as they climbed the stairs. "The lucky thing about it is that an intelligent enough person, or a good enough tracker, might be able to see through the illusion."

They pushed through the doors of room 301 to see that quite a large number of teams had made it through, including teams three and eight of Konoha.

"Glad to see ya join the party." Kiba smirked at them as they walked up to them. "Thought you'd been carried off or something."

"Can it Woof-Woof." Tsubame shot back. "We all know you're too stupid to not have fallen for the genjutsu."

"Yet we still got here before you." The Inuzuka snarled.

"Three things: One: you have Shino. Two, you have Hinata. And three? You're a tracking team. Need I say more?" Naruto drawled as he watched Sasuke lead teams seven and eight in, Ino and Sakura all but swooning over the Uchiha. "Incoming asshole alert."

Both 'freshman' teams, as the latest graduating set had been dubbed by their sensei, narrowed their eyes at the approaching teams and so they never noticed the smirks on the members of team three's faces.

"Cha! You'll get the Bushy-browed freak next time Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered as she bounded around the Uchiha. By her side, Into was nodding rapidly while adding her own two cents. "Yeah! He doesn't know you took it easy on him! Next time you'll win for sure! And we'll go on a date to celebrate!"

"By all that is holy and sacred! The bastard lost a fight?!" Surprisingly, Kiba was the first to piece the odd statements together. "He lost a fight?!"

"Indeed, Inuzuka-san." Neji replied with a barely concealed smirk. "He chose to attempt a defiance of his fate by battling my teammate. The result was his defeat."

"What Mister Formality is trying to say is simple." Tenten clarified amidst snorts of mirth. "My teammate, Lee, kicked the Uchiha's ass."

"Hey! Don't talk that was about Sasuke-kun!" Kuno cut in with a scowl before smiling broadly. "Say it as it is: he was totally outclassed!"

This triggered a fresh bout of laughter for the non-fangirl witnesses of said battle while those who were left out kept on gaping.

Right until the doors slammed shut.

"Pipe down you damned maggots." A loud, gruff voice from the front of the hall echoed through, drawing their attention. "Geez, you managed to avoid the genjutsu on the lower floor and you're already yapping like you've already become chūnin. Oi Ibiki! Get your ass up there and tell them about the second test. I'm off for a round of poker downstairs."

"Then get going ya lazy bastard." A new voice replied as a bear of a man walked onto the elevated platform, most of his form hidden beneath the dark trenchcoat he wore. "I am Morino Ibiki, your proctor for this exam so you'd best listen up. I don't repeat myself."

"What?" A genin from the opposite corner of the room from the Freshman squads grinned silently as he asked only for his eyes to widen as the proctor suddenly appeared by his side.

"Kotetsu, escort this retarded fuck and his teammates out of here." Ibiki stated boredly as he smashed his fist into the boy's head, rendering him unconscious. "He seems unable to continue."

The hall was dead silent after that.

—~ ~—

'So, the goal is to gather information without getting caught eh?' Naruto mused as he glanced through the questions he was given, knowing fully well that he'd be unable to answer most, if not all, of them. 'But there's a loophole: you can choose to NOT answer any question and just go for broke on the tenth. This is essentially a dual-layered test, like the first one: gather information or spot the loophole. As a chūnin you might be forced to gather intel on a target or to find a loophole in an agreement between two parties. How would you cope?'

The blond sat back and surreptitiously glanced around the room. Right now, barely ten minutes into the test, he could see that few had gotten the true meaning of the test. Neji and Hinata had their byakugan on and Shino's kikaichu added an almost serenading buzz to the ambience. Sakura was blitzing through the test, as was Shikamaru while a small sphere of sand hovered about.

And his teammates? Well, both of them were asleep.

'Loophole it is then'

Thirty-five minutes later, the blond yawned and stretched as he walked up to the dropoff point, sidling up to his teammates as he went.

"Loophole?" He whispered.

Tsubame nodded while Kazehana smirked.

"Nope. Questions answered."

"How? You slept." Tsubame seemed stunned too.

"Genjutsu on chūnin plant. Wrote my name instead of his."

Naruto was gobsmacked. "Chūnin wrote?"

"Yup. Proctor needed plant as third layer test: find accurate Intel."

The blond couldn't stop blinking in shock. A _third_ layer to the test to find those who would copy the accurate answers off the right people? Colour him lost, then cause he did not see that coming!

"Alright you lot. Time for the tenth question." Ibiki's voice drew their attention back to the raised dais. "Now, before we begin I'd like to say that anyone who feels they might be unable to answer this question if free to bail. Now."

"What? Well then why would anyone decide to leave?!" A genin with the Kusagakure hitai-ate tied around his forearm yelled.

"Simple. Anyone who fails this question will NEVER be promoted."

The casual delivery of this statement made it all the more shocking, silencing the genin for all of a minute.

Then came the protests.

Ibiki shut them up with an intense, killing intent-reinforced glare. "You want to be chūnin and you didn't read the forms? You should all be failed right away.

"Each and every one of you here are either allied with Konoha or are mutual-benefit partners with the Village. As such, it was put on your forms, _which you all signed,_ that any and all decrees during this exam are to be taken as law. And unfortunately for you guys, I'm new to this proctoring shit so I wanna make a name for myself. So, take it or leave it. Your call."

Neither Naruto nor his friends even _thought_ of bailing.

Except for Sakura, neither did any of the Konoha teams and Kuno had swiftly held down the pink haired girl's hand the instant it twitched upward.

"Any last minute stragglers?" Ibiki asked as the last of the fearful genin departed. The doors shut with a soft, disheartening click. "Well, too late for that anyway. Now, for the question... Nah, I'll spare you guys the agony and just pass you."

"What?!" Prominent amongst those who yelled this question were Kiba, Temari, Ino, Fū and and unnamed boy from Kusagakure.

"Simply put, all of you in this hall just answered the tenth question. When I asked if you'd be taking this question, I was asking the tenth question itself which was designed to force you into a dilemma: kick back or go for broke. The idiots that wimped out obviously chose the former while you all stuck to your guns and chose the latter."

"And this has what exactly to do with being chūnin?" Sakura yelled angrily, pissed off at the fact that she'd nearly gotten Sasuke sent out for such a ridiculous thing.

"Geez, Pinky, I'd have thought that with your large Brain you'd be able to figure it out." Ibiki smirked. "As a chūnin, you'll be forced into situations where the given mission differs from the actual mission in difficulty. Some genin here have already been through that. So the question is, as a chūnin, what do you do when a seeming C-class mission becomes an A-class right in the middle of said mission? Wimp out and your Village loses face. Stick to your guns and you may just lose your life. What'll it be?"

The genin were quiet as the reality of the situation struck them. This test had essentially been a field simulation with a unique cover...

"But then why the first part?" A redhead from Taki asked. "Why bother with the written test?"

Ibiki scoffed upon hearing the question. "Fat load of moron you are Red. Well, since I'm in a good mood I'll share some things.

"The written test was a triple layered test, with two possible solutions. First, it was to test how good you were at gathering information in a potentially hostile environment. Those that couldn't make it? Bye fuckers. However, there was a loophole. By giving you all ten points at the commencement of the test, you had already passed."

Again, the genin yelled their confusion.

"Pipe down! Now, the trick there was simple: I said that if you got the question wrong you'd lose a point but how can you lose a point if you never answered the question in the first place? For those wondering about practical applications, it was meant to see how many of you could spot and deal in political backtalk while avoiding or, in this case, exploiting, loopholes."

"I think that's enough for now Ibiki-san."

Loud yelps of shock came from the center of the room, drawing attention to that spot.

Standing there, looking completely at ease, was a female ANBU with flowing purple hair, face hidden behind a feline mask with dark purple highlights, casually spinning a kunai.

"What's all the racket for?" The deadness of her voice, clashing violently with the almost playful way she spun her weapon had many genin wondering what they were up against with such an obviously unbalanced person. "Not a bad job Ibiki-san. More passed than expected but certainly an excellent try for a first timer."

"One tries." The big man shrugged as he turned to leave. "I'll be off then. I leave them in your cruel hands, Neko-san!"

"Meet me at Training Ground Forty-Four within the next fifteen minutes." Neko stated to the genin before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

"The fuck?!" Kiba snarled as himself and his team jumped to the nearest exit, opting for a window instead of the now crowded door. "We have a Forty-fourth training ground?"

"That you do not know this is a slight on your person Kiba-san." Kabuto said as he appeared beside team eight, teams seven and ten trailing them. "That is Konoha's most dangerous training ground. All jōnin are expected to show their genin those grounds and thoroughly warn them against entering."

"Father spoke to me of it once." Shino noted as they sped over rooftops. "No genin is to enter the ground without jōnin supervision or permission from Hokage-sama himself."

"The hell?" Kuno spoke up this time. "What makes it so bad?"

In all their bickering, they never noticed the absence of teams three or nine.

—~ ~—

"Those of you present here have successfully passed the first level of this test: knowing your surroundings." Neko calmly addressed the assembled genin as she lounged in a tree, polishing her sword. "Many a chūnin have lost their lives because they didn't know their surroundings."

Some genin seemed miffed about this, particularly the foreigners. Some of us have never been to this Village!"

"And you'd have been to the location of all your missions beforehand?" The ANBU drawled. "Of course not. You were advised to be here a week ahead of the exam's commencement. Those of you who did this would have had sufficient time to know the Village.

As a chūnin, you will be thrown into unknown locations. One of your first tasks should be locating every important route and even some not-so-important routes. This allows you to plan your escape routes easily and to know choke points that would be excellent for ambushes or for planting incendiaries for distraction purposes."

Various genin, particularly the rookies, nodded in understanding.

"Now then, have some chūnin moving about and handing out waivers. If you wish to proceed with this test, sign them."

"Why shouldn't we?" Into yelled as she grabbed her own waiver.

"Because there's a decent chance that only half of you will make it out alive." Came the dead response. "Perhaps an explanation is in order.

"The training ground you see is also known as the Forest of Death. Think of it as a greenhouse for some of the most deadly plants and animals known to man. Each team here will be given a scroll, one half of the total receiving a black and the other a white. The objective of this test is to obtain a complimentary scroll and then make it to the Tower, situated in the center of this forest, within five days."

"Five days?!" Chōji exclaimed. "But what about food?"

"There are plants and animals you can kill for food." The ANBU shrugged casually. "Provided they don't eat you first. So, any wimps?"

This time, no hands shot up.

"Time to begin then. On your scroll there is a number indicating your starting location. Whites, search to my left and Blacks to my right. Find your position and wait till you hear the signal. Now go."

Of all the rookies, teams three and nine were both Black with team three being number twelve and nine being number twenty-seven.

"See you in the finals Ten-chan!" Kazehana grinned ad her team headed off to prepare for the third test.

"So, how are we doing this?" Naruto asked. "I say we shoot across to meet a White."

"No." Tsubame rejected that idea. "Instead, we arrow toward the Tower and lay ambushes,collecting whatever scrolls we can find."

Kazehana nodded. "As a backup, Naruto, make a shit-ton of clones and have them disperse as soon as we get in there. Have them stick to recon missions but they can swoop in if they find a chance."

"Yeah... We may never have a better chance to gauge the opposition." Tsubame agreed.

At that moment, a single, echoing crack rang throughout the forest and the gates they stood at groaned as the opened.

The third test had begun.

—~ ~—

Done! This took way too long man.

So, the Taki mission to defeat Suien DID happen, its just not shown. Kay?Lord

So, my next update might take a while. Felt y'all should know cause the next story update will be A New Life.

Please Read and Review.

The Ethereal Lord


	16. Chapter 15

To my reviewers:

As regards 'Hiruzen Sarutobi' and team ten, believe me, that was a major mistake.

On Hiruzen being a 'Puppet': nope. Future Naruto bugged the Hokage tower with superior knowledge but he didn't turn Hiruzen into a puppet. The decision for the creation of team nine was solely Hiruzen, inspired by their friendship. Konoha values teamwork and breaking an already functioning friendship wouldn't have made sense. Putting them together was the logical choice.

On the 'Elephant in the room': Naruto was overwhelmed at that moment. It will come up, though Hiruzen might not be there to answer that.

 _ **Altered**_

 _ **Chapter 16**_

"Well," Naruto yawned as he rested back on the log he'd gotten to act as their benches. "That's it for the first day. Not too difficult really."

"Of course you'd think that." Kazehana scoffed at him from her log adjacent to his. "Only two fights with rival genin teams gunning for our scrolls though they shared the same type as ours."

"You forgot the centipede." Tsubame smiled at her teammates. Her log was placed at an angle to theirs to created a spaced out triangle around the fire they had going. Staked into the ground by her side was the stick she'd used to cook her dinner. Having a teammate that had the equivalent of a well stocked larder in a scroll made camping easy on the belly.

"Of course! How could I forget the centipede?" The redhead of team nine was in full 'miffed' mode. "The damned thing was over sixteen feet in length with an all but impenetrable carapace, huge mandibles and twin tail stingers that dripped venom like-"

"It's behind you!" Naruto yelled, prompting a very short but high pitched scream from his friend as she jumped nearly a foot into the air.

"Don't DO that!" She gasped after realizing, when she heard their barely concealed snorts, that it was a joke. "It's not my fault I'm afraid of centipedes!"

"While... while it is funny," Tsubame said in between grunts of laughter, "do recall that we are in a place called the Forest of Death. With a large number of competitors that want us dead."

"Alright..." The blond acceded to the suggestion after a few more snickers. Quiet reigned for a while until the blond's inherent curiosity pushed him to speak up. "Hey, any idea why this place is called the Forest of Death?"

"Well, while there is no absolutely confirmed historical record, the belief is that the Forest was created by the Shodai Hokage."

The last known Kaguya sat up. "The Shodaime created this? How? And why?"

"Well, the belief is that at a certain point in time, the Shodaime suffered a great loss, so great that he knew that if he kept the pain inside, it would poison him. So, aching for release, he wandered a distance away from the young village he'd helped build, and, when he felt far away enough to not hurt his home yet close enough to rush back should any emergency occur, he let loose.

"They say the pain was so much that his roar of anguish continued for three days, nonstop, and that nature itself bled for him.

"Apparently, he bled into nature as well, at least his negative emotions did, and as a result, nature became twisted within that area. All young animals grew into twisted beasts that killed off the elders, the plants became killers and even the air felt oppressive.

By the time he'd returned to his senses, the change was complete and the Forest of Death was birthed.

In order to ensure that the creation of his negativity remained contained, he created the walls surrounding the new Forest and, with his wife, ensured that no one would ever destroy the walls. Finally, he expanded the territory of the village to ensconce the Forest.

"The final part of this belief is that the Shodaime died in this same Forest but I sincerely doubt the possibility of that."

"But, bar the final part, that sounds... Well, it sounds both sad and awesome." Naruto breathed as he stared at a visible patch of the night sky through the foliage. "I mean... he literally influenced nature itself. Permanently. That's just... I'm not even sure if I want to be that powerful..."

It was a sobering thought indeed...

—~ ~—

"So Blondie, did you catch anything good during the night?" Tsubame asked as the trio sped through the trees, energy levels fully recharged after their night.

"Yeah. Quite a lot actually." The whiskered male replied as he swerved around an obstruction. "Right now, the teams to watch out for are that Suna team, Fū's team, Tenten's team and a team from Kusa. Oh, and Shikamaru's team at night."

"Lord Lazyass?" Came the stumped reply. "You sure?"

"Yeah. He used a technique last night that turned every shadow within a ten foot radius of his camp into an active death trap. I saw a team from Ame get into its range and the shadows staked them swiftly."

"Well, it is said that if taking on a Nara in a forest is folly then taking them on in a forest _at night_ is simply suicidal." Kazehana supplied with a shrug. "I guess he'd use less chakra if the shadows are so plenty."

"True." Naruto agreed. "On the other hand, if either of you are to face Sabaku no Gaara solo at any point, run." Seeing the disbelieving looks on his friends' faces, the blond frowned. "I mean it. He went up against a team from Taki and simply decimated them. He uses sand as his primary weapon for both offense and defense. The sand seems to be able to move on its own and, thanks to Lady Tenant, I believe he might be the jinchūriki of the Ichibi."

The girls went quiet upon hearing that. A few moments later, they glanced at the blond and nodded firmly.

"Speaking of dangerous characters, remember that glasses wearing guy at the beginning of the second test?" Kazehana asked.

"Yakushi Kabuto? Yeah, I remember him." Naruto scowled. "He somehow had access to the Taki file and my pre-genin records. There's no way he should have been able to get those."

"There's also the fact that he has exact mission records for both our team and Tenten's." Tsubame added. "Not even rumors should have given him access to such accurate information."

"The most disturbing things are that he reeks of the same kind of snakes Mizuki-teme stank of and that he seems to have disappeared. My clones took extra effort to try and find him but came up with nothing."

"Guess that means we'll need to keep an eye on him if we do see him and we must remember to warn sensei and Hokage-sama about him. He could be a-"

Kazehana's next words were cut off abruptly as a scream echoed through the forest.

"Guess another ambush went off swimmingly." Tsubame drawled before noticing her blond teammate's tense stance. "What is it?"

"A girl's being chased by something vaguely bearlike and they're headed this way."

The team's illusion specialist sighed as she realized her friend's unspoken intentions. "Your hero complex may get you killed, Naruto. You may want to remember that."

"Only if you guys aren't with me." He smiled at her.

"Guess we're taking on a bear." Tsubame shrugged indifferently. To her, it didn't particularly matter if the girl lived or died. She was a possible enemy after all.

"Alright. Tsu-chan, get to higher ground. As soon as you see the creature, riddle it with bullets. Hana-chan, see if genjutsu can work on it while my clones get the girl to safety." Naruto stated as the sounds of crashing foliage got closer.

"Got it." Both girls nodded as they shot off to advantageous positions. Meanwhile, Naruto stayed back and created half a dozen clones before jumping to the ground.

—~ ~—

As far as she was concerned, this absolutely settled it. Should she be reincarnated, she would stick to science and logic and stay as far away as possible from anything even _remotely_ associated with the shinobi.

So certain was she of her meeting with the Shinigami that she never considered surviving this.

Well, you ask, why bother running then?

Survival instinct moron! She was most definitely not a 'fight' person nor was she a 'freeze' either. So yes. She was running, even though she knew she would still end up dead.

You would too if you were being hunted by a twelve foot tall, really huge black beast with a mouth large enough to snap you in half with a single bite.

Thank Kami she was an Uzumaki. Her innate stamina plus her sensory ability and her still-thinking-logically mind meant she could keep running and swerving around obstacles fast enough to maintain a tentative lead.

With her mind solely fixated on keeping her aware of the hulking beast, she never sensed their presences.

Hence her running smack-dab into someone else.

She wanted to rage at whoever the unlucky fool was that had decided to simply _stand there_ while someone else was obviously being _hunted in their direction!_

She would have lit into him too if it wasn't for her meddling sensory abilities.

Just as she was about to lay into him (yes, she was willing to lose whatever lead she had on the beast to discipline this idiot), she got a metaphorical whiff of his chakra.

She all but melted.

Never, in all her life, had she felt such _potent_ chakra! It felt so strong and warm and _alive!_ If asked, she'd only be able to call it _safe._ That was it; this chakra felt safe, like she could never be harmed while she was close to it.

She could (and likely _would_ ) have continued basking in the presence of this chakra when her attention was snapped back to reality by a loud grunt of effort. Spinning around, she saw the black beast (bear, she noted absently) lifted a few inches off the ground by a punch to its jaw, delivered by a blond boy in a pair of black pants and a dark grey shirt with orange swirl motifs on the back and visible parts of its sleeves. The assault didn't stop there, though as she watched another blond, an exact copy of the first, jump on the first's shoulder and slam a rising kick into the same spot as the first.

"U!"

The second clone dispelled as the first landed on all fours, a third clone appearing and pushing off the first's back to slam a double kick to the same spot yet again.

"ZU!"

As the third fell, a fourth pushed off the first and, in a stunning display of timing, was grabbed by the third and flung into the bear, this time slamming head first into the bear.

"MA!"

Now, the first, third and fourth clones dispelled just as two more copies of the blond appeared over the bear to deliver twin, punishing ax kicks into the bear's skull.

"KI!"

As the clones dispelled, a series of loud cracks were heard from above and, as she watched, the bear was riddled by a large number of impossibly fast objects that littered its body with small holes.

"Looks like the Uzumaki Kaguya Shigan Rendan was a success." The body she'd landed on sounded happy. "Now, um, miss redhead, do you mind getting off?"

She turned to see herself resting on another copy of the blond.

—~ ~—

"So, let me get this straight: you're an Uzumaki like Blondie, named Karin who likes science and stuff but not ninja related things and you were forced into this by your village, Kusagakure." Kazehana asked.

"Yeah." The now named Karin nodded as herself and the rest of team nine raced toward the tower.

"You're also a very adept sensor and you can tell people's nature from their chakra which is why you trust us." Naruto continued, earning a second nod.

"And finally, your team, consisting of two now dead guys, had the black scroll which you just handed over since you felt you wouldn't need it." Tsubame sighed. "Guess I owe you an apology, Blondie. That hero complex of yours has its uses."

"One tries." Naruto performed a mock-bow mid-jump. "So, Karin, do you know of any other Uzumaki?"

The redhead shook her head. "Sorry, I was an orphan in Kusa. The matron of the orphanage said that they found me crying in a ditch when I was about six months old."

"Looks like we share another similarity: we're both orphans." Naruto stated with a grin. Neither of his friends laughed, though. Not when they could hear the slight tinge of bitterness in his tone.

All of a sudden, the girls were forced to stop as they, upon noticing his absence in their midst, turned to look at the blond.

He looked tense, every muscle in his body stiffened as his right hand cradled his temple and his eyes were shut tight.

Then, his eyes snapped open and his teammates switched to high alert mode. The blond had, either through his clones or by aid of his bijū, sensed something. Something dangerous.

"Karin, please cast a sensory net, as wide as you can without pushing yourself and tell me if you noticed any oddities."

The Uzumaki girl seemed a bit baffled by the sudden seriousness in his voice but decided to heed his plea. Her hands clasped in the ram seal right in front of her belly and her eyes shut tight, she focused on the chakra around her, using her own as a catalyst to expand her range further and further until-

* **HURGH!** *

* **SPLAT!** *

The redheaded Uzumaki spewed all of her breakfast with a helping of bile mixed in.

Naruto was by her side so swiftly it was like he'd expected this reaction from the girl, his friends joining him a moment later.

"Naruto, what happened-" Kazehana's enquiry was cut short by the blond's sharp head shake, making the redhead narrow her eyes.

"Sor- sorry..." Karin gasped out in between retches and coughs. "Ne- never felt ch- chakra like that..."

Tsubame and Kazehana's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as the implication of the redhead's words hit them: there was someone out there with such potently _vile_ chakra that it had triggered such a violent reaction from Karin.

"Karin, I know it probably hurts to even move right now, but I'll need you to get ready to lead us toward that chakra."

"What?!"

Naruto ignored the redhead's shout of indignation as he turned to his teammates. "Hana-chan, Tsu-chan, we need to move. Priority: rescue."

Just one word was uttered by the silver haired Kaguya as she began to think up strategies to use in the upcoming task: "Why?"

"Because team seven is under attack.

"From Orochimaru."

—~ ~—

Kaguya Tsubame had seen A-ranked shinobi combat during the mission to Nami no Kuni and had fought against B-ranked shinobi during the secret mission to Taki.

Both _paled_ in comparison with what she was seeing now.

'So this is what an S-ranked shinobi looks like...'

It was terrifying. A mere glance would tell anyone that there was a large gap between the skill level displayed by the genin duo of Sasuke and Kuno and that of the Sannin. A closer look, even with eyes as untrained as hers, showed exactly how large that gap was.

'Even though he's obviously toying with them, he might as well not be moving at all for all the effectiveness their attacks are doing to him. He hasn't even used any jutsu beyond the Mud Clones and Substitution.'

As a matter of fact, she was absolutely sure that the only reason he hadn't detected their presence was due to his focus on the Uchiha.

"Anything?" Kazehana's murmured whisper snapped her back to reality.

"Just one; we take a single potshot at Orochimaru, grab team seven and get the hell out of dodge."

"A repeat of the Uzumaki Kaguya Shigan Rendan?" Naruto asked, holding on to Karin's hand to steady the shivering girl.

"No." Tsubame's reply was swift and decisive. "You cannot get close to him under any circumstances. A Shigan Barrage from me, yes, but you will be in charge of getting team seven out while Kazehana does her best to befuddle him with genjutsu as we move."

"When do we move?" The blond asked.

"We'll know when we see an opening."

The chance came not up to two minutes later.

"Yes... You may just have what it takes to defeat your brother..." The Snake Sannin hissed as he stared at the self-proclaimed avenger who was pinned to a tree trunk by a number of kunai. "But you need something more... As a gesture of good faith, I'll leave you with something to help... hasten your development... Now... Stay still..."

A burst of concentrated killing intent forced Sasuke into a moment of fear-induced stasis and within that space of time, the Sannin's neck shot forward, elongating to carry his head across the six foot distance between himself and his target. The instant his fangs sank into Sasuke's skin, team nine struck.

A focused, pinpoint shunshin carried Naruto into the midst of the battleground. A quick burst of chakra later, he had twenty nine copies of himself filling the clearing, a third transforming into Sakura and another third into Kuno.

At the same time, multiple cracks rang out as the Sannin's still outstretched neck became riddled with tiny projectiles.

Not even waiting to see the Sannin's reaction, the blond jinchūriki proceeded to grab a hold of the now violently shivering Uchiha and flood the area with clones before disappearing into the ground with his about half his clones doing the same.

Time to get the hell out of dodge!

—~ ~—

"Kami damn it Uchiha! Stop flapping about!" Naruto yelled as he dove through the foliage, desperate to get to the Tower. The plan, had been simple: grab team seven, scatter and converge at the Tower. Unfortunately for him, he was saddled with a writhing teen going through about twelve different levels of pain while being hunted by a pissed off Sannin.

He wasn't sure how Orochimaru had survived having his neck shredded by a barrage of bone bullets but he guessed that it was a part of being an S-ranked shinobi to be insanely durable.

Picking up a slight displacement of air to his left, the blond placed a foot on the tree trunk to his left and pushed off it, angling himself to shoot upward at an angle to the next tree before rebounding off that too. Three repeats later and he landed on a tree trunk and blasted forward, pumping as much chakra into his feet to propel him through the trees at a faster rate. He wasn't even consciously aware of where his feet landed, allowing his finely honed instincts from evading various levels of Konoha's shinobi to guide him through while he focused on expanding his sensory sphere as much as possible so he could notice-

* **SNICKT** *

He looked down to see a sword's point sticking out of his chest.

Then he turned back to see a furiously scowling Sannin behind him.

He grinned.

* **POOF** *

—~ ~—

Karin was furiously cursing the stupid hero complex of the blond that had essentially condemned her to death by Sannin, conveniently forgetting that the same hero complex was why she was alive in the first place.

Here she was, being hunted down by an S-ranked shinobi who was touted to have been a genius in his youth when she could easily have died about an hour ago and been spared this utter madness!

And that was saying nothing of the potato sack she was dragging around either!

"Hurry up Pinky! He's taking out our guard!" Karin bellowed as she ran faster through the underbrush. Dammit, why couldn't she have had the blonde girl? At least she seemed to be a more competent kunoichi than this pink haired half slug that couldn't hurry her ass up to save her life. Literally!

Her train of thought was disrupted when she felt a horrible pain spread from her knee out ward. Looking down, she saw that a kunai was embedded deep behind her knee. As she stumbled to the ground, she saw the pink haired girl get pinned to a tree by six expertly thrown kunai.

"You had better be the real ones!" Orochimaru snarled as he stalked up to her. She could see the rage in his eyes, stemming from the indignation of being denied an end to his fun, of being attacked and, worse, hurt. The indignation of being led on a merry chase by a bunch of brats, knowing he couldn't unleash his full power in the Forest for fear of having an entire village upon him or, more importantly, destroying his target.

She was glad to see that.

It meant the boss was still doing an exceedingly excellent job of completely fucking with him.

Good.

And so, with that last thought, 'Karin' let go of her control, releasing her chakra so it could return to its source.

After mindfucking the Sannin with a single, cheerfully spoken word: "Nope!"

'Sakura' got the pleasure of seeing the Sannin scream in rage before she dispelled herself.

—~ ~—

"Anything yet?" Kazehana shouted at Naruto as they blitzed through the forest. The entirety of teams nine, their guest and team seven were present with clones of the jinchūriki carrying each of the members of team seven. The original blond was surrounded by four clones, acting as a personal guard as the blond analyzed one of their spare white scrolls.

"It's one part of a seal! I'd hazard a guess and say the black is the second part but there are conditions: the second seal must be placed in a specific manner over the first and they must be activated in the presence of a third seal that I guess we'll find at the Tower!"

"Boss he's just taken out the Karin-Sakura number three team! He's eight hundred and forty meters out!" The clone to his left yelled.

"We've got six teams in between, each with a Sasuke, and nine more are converging!" The 'lead' clone updated.

"Have teams fifty-four through sixty-two converge on that area and stay a hundred meters away from the fight! Have them set up our simplest yet most destructive traps all around the area! All other clones should switch to confusion tactics!"

"Got it!" His 'left' guard nodded before dispelling itself, leaving him beside Karin.

"Karin! How far away are we?" Tsubame asked from the opposite side.

A quick moment of concentration gave the Uzumaki an answer. "A hundred and fifty-six meters from the edge of the clearing, three hundred and fifty-six to the Tower!"

No more words were spoken as the group arrowed forward, ignoring the burning pain in their limbs from pushing themselves so strenuously.

They didn't even begin to slow down as they burst into the large clearing around the Tower, only beginning to slow down when they were within a hundred meters to the Tower. Somehow, the odds had favoured them as their movement path brought them directly in line with one of the Tower's four entrances.

As they coasted to a stop, Naruto jumped forward to search for the third seal he'd have to work with. A quick perusal of the riddle on the wall showed him the small seal at its top corner.

"Boss!" A clone yelled in warning as itself and its fellows all threw themselves onto the ground, pushing everyone else to the ground as they went bar their creator who was too far away to be helped.

* **BOOM!** *

The powerful concussive force released from the explosion that occurred not even fifty meters from the edge of the clearing was strong enough to pick and almost casually fling Naruto back into the wall behind him, his head striking the wall with a resounding thunk.

Ignoring the ringing between his ears, Naruto unrolled the two scrolls and laid them over each other until they intersected at right angles. Then, he poured in his chakra, his fear pushing him to act with an almost fevered frenzy.

The instant he saw Iruka appear, he jumped onto the scarred chūnin. "Sensei! Get us in! Now!"

Perhaps it was the sheer shock of seeing Naruto, _the_ Uzumaki Naruto, so terrified that spurred him to action, Iruka would never truly know, but he reacted instantaneously, sending his chakra into an embedded seal in the doorframe that allowed him to swiftly reverse summon the group into the Tower, much to their everlasting relief.

—~ ~—

 _"Knock knock..." The voice chuckles darkly, his voice accompanied by the crashing sounds of destroyed forestry. "Anybody home?"_

 _I can feel the desperation begin to cloud my actions as I hurry to complete the sea. He isn't here yet, I'm certain of that thanks to my Five-Point Detection seal. He's become powerful enough to casually stroll into wherever he wants and I'm nowhere near the power level I once had._

 _Not without Kurama._

 _"Doton: Chikyū no Sokubaku!"_

 _"Katon: Jigoku Kozui!"_

 _"Fūton: Kazeryūdan!_

 _A loud explosion rings throughout the forest, channeled to me via the many sonic transmission seals I've littered through the forest._

 _My clones are running interference as much as they can but against Him? They're little more than gnats._

 _"Naruto! How much further?"_

 _I'm sorely tempted to pause and look into her eyes; those beautiful emerald eyes that I've always loved, but I have to continue working on the seal. The background chatter of my clones hurling jutsu after jutsu at Him reminds me of that._

 _"Give me a minute, max!"_

 _It will be close. Extremely so, in fact. He has just crossed the three mile mark and is steadily getting closer. By the time it's complete, he would have crossed the two mile mark and will be able to sense my chakra output as I charge up the seal._

 _"Is this the best you can do? The great Uzumaki Naruto! Saviour of the world, child of prophecy!" His laughter sounds closer than ever and his words have me gritting my teeth in shame, anger and guilt._

 _"Naruto work through it!" Sakura yells at me as she grabs and seals all of our property and replaces them with duds we'd created months ago. "This is your chance to fix everything! We need your head in the game!"_

 _Her words snap me out of the negativity as a new plan forms in my head._

 _Soundlessly, two clones appear by my side and move over to stand at opposite points of the seal, the three of us forming a triangle around it._

 _On an unspoken signal, they begin their jobs._

 _Even without Kurama I've still got ridiculously large chakra reserves. So much so that, by the time I was a genin, my reserves nearly tripled the Old Man. Usage of senjutsu only helps that grow._

 _At a cost: my control was shit. Plain and simple._

 _It was why I could never cast genjutsu and why Jiraiya avoided teaching me certain fūinjutsu aspects. My first exploding seal leveled a mile-radius of forestry._

 _Ever since the War, though, I've been working on that and, after Sakura joined me, she helped tremendously._

 _It was why I could even attempt this._

 _The first clone spread a thin layer of chakra through the pathways of the seal. Not enough to trigger it but enough for the second clone to get to work on channelling as much chakra as it could through the seal. Since I'd opened a direct pathway between myself and that particular clone, it was basically pouring in all my chakra into the seal. Thanks to the first clone, all that energy zinging through the seal didn't activate it and the chakra extends into each sigil as soon as I'm done drawing it._

 _"Boss... I can't hold it much longer..." Clone-1 grunted. Damn my potent chakra! Holding it back must feel like hell for the clone._

 _"Almost there!" I reply, drawing faster to complete the seal. I simply need to complete the anchor seals that will allow our memories to remain with us in the past regardless of whatever changes we make to the past._

 _*_ _ **BOOM!**_ _*_

 _"Naruto!" Sakura yells as she stumbles about. "Are you ready?!"_

 _That last tremor caused a tiny error: a single drop of ink, unconnected to the main seal splatters on the ground._

 _Shit!_

 _"Boss!" The control clone is visibly shaking with effort now and Sakura is all set._

 _A split second of focus on the detection seals shows that He is only a mile out. The suppression seals around this place will only hold for so long._

 _Fuck it._

 _I know the risks and all that but if it's not connected to the seal then it shouldn't cause too much of a problem._

 _"Done! Sakura, get in!" I yell as the clones dispel and the seal's initial activation process completes. "Thirty seconds to go!"_

 _She joins me with the satchel containing all our things._

 _Outside, my clones continue unleashing everything they've got at Him as my traps join the barrage and stasis seals activate for every footstep He takes. They aren't doing much, stalling Him for perhaps a half-second at the most but cumulatively, we might have a chance._

 _Ten seconds._

 _"Enough!" He roars as He flares His chakra and smashes through another horde of clones._

 _He knows something is up now. I've never tried to keep Him away with so much effort, typically just flashing away from whatever hideout I'm using then._

 _Seven seconds._

 _Out comes the perfect Susano'o. I swear, it's just wrong that He can move at top speed when in that damned thing._

 _There goes clone squads seven through to eighty-three._

 _Four seconds._

 _As he reaches a hundred feet from the cave, my final trap is sprung: a light blue spacetime barrier based on Orochimaru's Sanjū Rashomon._

 _He switches weapons, going from sword to crossbow and creates a bolt of Amaterasu enforced energy for His Susano'o._

 _Two seconds._

 _The bolt tears through my barriers, though the last one forces it to break apart._

 _He charges in, switching back to His sword as he swings down in rage._

 _I push Sakura behind me as it comes down._

—~ ~—

In Konoha, at that moment, two blonds sit up abruptly, shivering in fear.

—~ ~—

There we go.

I kinda enjoyed this chapter, though I skimmed over any fights.

Was planning on hitting the prelims but I decided against it so expect the fights in the next chapter. Some may be canon fixtures but majority won't be.

School's back on so I am going to slow down on updates.

On a related note, both Replaced (20℅ done) and A New Life (45℅ done) are also going to be a bit later.

Read and Review Please.

The Ethereal Lord.


	17. Chapter 16

_**Altered**_

 _ **Chapter 16**_

 _"Maybe it was just a repressed figment of your imagination?"_ The redheaded companion of the bijū's host speculated as she tried to understand what had gotten her friend so disturbed. _"I mean, you've got the single, most hyperactive mind I can think of and your clones share that too. So maybe it was just a daydream of a clone?"_

'Of course she wouldn't understand.' The Kyūbi thought with a huff as it blocked off the audiovisual link with its host.

The bijū itself was stumped in regards to what had happened; one second it was enjoying itself, delivering backhanded praises to the blond about how his team had handled the Sannin incident, the next; it found itself being drawn into a shared vision with its host and it watched as the blond- now a mature young man with an even more startling resemblance to his father- worked desperately to create a seal while the pink haired girl- a beautiful woman now- that he held a spot of affection for ran around, clearing what she could in a frenzied manner.

Now, for all its pride, the Kyūbi would admit to being ignorant of fūinjutsu. So much so that it was almost criminal.

But it understood kanji.

And the kanji at the center of the seal in that 'dream' read Time.

The 'Naruto' in that dreamlike vision had created a seal to affect the temporal flow.

If Mother Nature disliked being disturbed, Father Time _utterly despised_ such.

That was a fundamental fact known the universe over and was the chief reason why no one attempted to mess with time; the effects could be brutal.

Contrary to the young redhead's belief, it wasn't just a figment of the blond's imagination, clone or otherwise. No, that vision had been too real, the scents accurate, the sights and sounds, the very _feel_ of the atmosphere had a precise yet bafflingly ethereal quality to it.

Like it had all happened and they were reliving another person's life...

The bijū, in its vulpine form, snarled angrily. There was no hope of understanding that... whatever had happened without further details.

So, for now, it would retreat and leave the issue be.

It would be more perceptive next time...

—~ ~—

"No Anko, we are not, no, _I_ am not sending you out there to find him, regardless of your wishes."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." Anko grated out between tightly clenched teeth. In the pockets of her trenchcoat, her palms bled from how deep her nails had been embedded into her flesh.

In spite of the pain she was in, physical and emotional, her countenance never wavered, not a hair shifting out of place on her perfectly schooled face.

Ironically, she had the bastard to thank for that.

The same bastard that had cruelly abandoned the village, rejected her and had just now infiltrated the village for the exams.

She wasn't sure how exactly he'd gotten in but she knew he was. He'd left his signature calling card behind: victims of his mad genius.

She'd been at Kurosaki's, enjoying an afternoon snack with Hana Inuzuka who was on lunch break from the veterinary hospital when an ANBU had requested her presence in the Forest of Death.

She'd wondered why they needed her considering the fact that Yūgao was in charge of that portion of the exams until she'd arrived at the scene.

Two bodies, male, brutally beaten to death with their Kusagakure hitai-ate showing their allegiance.

A third body, untouched but for the face that seemed to have sloughed off. The budding breasts on the chest indicated its gender. Unknown affiliation but suspected third genin of this Kusagakure team.

And a simple note, pinned between the third corpse's breasts: _'You could cancel the exams but then Konoha would lose face tremendously. Either way, I win.'_

The implication of the note had just begin to sink in when a tremendous explosion shook the ground beneath their feet, coming from the direction of the Tower.

Yūgao had taken a single look at her before ordering her to take the matter to the Hokage who had, upon hearing her report, begun sending her out to summon the different clan heads and heads of sections or to deliver reports and other things.

She'd done them without hesitation, though she seethed inside, knowing that she was specifically being kept away from actively hunting him down.

Now, hours later, even knowing that the trail- if the bastard even left one- would have gone cold, she'd requested to join the search for her former sensei.

"Anko, sit." The aged Hokage sighed as he opted to stand and walk to the windows. He heard the tiniest of squeaks as she sat and nodded, taking in the cools breeze as he watched over the village in a more physical manner this time. "I understand that you are angry at me, rightfully so as well. After all, I am the one delaying you from finding him. However, I need you to understand my exact reasoning."

Anko's seemingly carved out face finally cracked as a small crease furrowed her brow. For all his benevolent nature, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a Kage and the Kage, all of them, were dictators in the end. When they spoke, you either obeyed or got punished. They didn't have to explain anything.

So why?

"Simply put, Anko, I will not sacrifice you or anyone else for my mistake. I understand that this makes you feel affronted, like I do not trust in your capabilities. Believe me Anko, I do. I have watched as you have pushed yourself above everything coming your way to be the kunoichi you are today, particularly since I told you of the dangers to Naruto-kun's life. You are definitely one of my top shinobi Anko.

"But you, better than almost anyone, understand Orochimaru. You know the way he thinks and you know just how powerful he is. So what would his mindset be now, considering the fact that he's just lost his target and been at the epicenter of an explosion powerful enough to level everything within a quarter-mile radius of the epicenter. All thanks to three genin who were touted to be nothing special."

It didn't take the purple haired kunoichi a second to come to a conclusion. "He'd be beyond annoyed, he'd be mad. He'd go up against any opponent with absolute fury, holding nothing back."

The Hokage nodded. "He would. Should that happen within the village, regardless of the location, the order of the exams will be disrupted and the knowledge would leak out that an S-ranked criminal was able to sneak back into the village and remain undetected until he acted as he so desired. Konoha would lose face and our economy would suffer a set back from the reduced income that would undoubtedly happen. On the other hand, we could attempt to shut down the exams, be it temporarily, to smoke him out and take him out but we would suffer the same loss of reputation. Of course, we could play either method off as a trap but should he escape, we would be at an even lower pedestal."

"Yet leaving him untouched is a greater risk. He's free to unleash whatever carnage he wants to at any moment." Anko grated out of tightly clenched teeth. "Zugzwang. Damned if we do, damned if we don't."

"So it would seem." Hiruzen smiled just a bit as he turned away from the window. "However, I don't believe he expected your team to be adept enough to spot the discrepancies of his spy."

For the first time since she'd known of Orochimaru's presence in the Village, Anko smiled. "Yakushi Kabuto."

"Indeed." The Hokage nodded again as his blonde assistant walked in and dropped a file in front of Anko.

"Yakushi's complete file, along with the required permissions for you to dig till your heart's content. All signed by Hokage-sama." Rangiku smiled savagely.

Anko's responding grin was utterly sadistic. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

As the jōnin practically bounced out of the room, the Hokage called her name. She halted.

"Go wild."

Such was the power of the joy that ripped through her that she nearly came on the spot.

 _Very nearly._

—~ ~—

"Hokage-sama." Yūgao, currently in her guise as Neko of the ANBU, hailed in standard monotone as she knelt before her lord. In the office with him were the Nara, Yamanaka and Inuzuka clan heads and his assistant.

"Welcome back, Yūgao. You can take off the mask. We need your full person here."

With a slight inclination of her already bowed head, she pulled down the mask and stood.

"Alright, Inoichi, what news do we have?"

The blond clan head sighed. "The good news is that none of the twelve sensory ninja on duty when we speculate Orochimaru made his way in are spies. The bad news is that the spy has been amongst us all this time."

"Kabuto." Tsume Inuzuka, head of the Inuzuka clan, growled. As a member of that fierce clan with ties to their canine counterparts, she valued loyalty above nearly everything so the mere thought of a traitor in their midst rankled her to no end.

"Yes." Inoichi nodded. "Reports from the sensors during the first two days of the exams state that a powerful but short surge of chakra rippled out from Kabuto's position. It matched the feel of a summoning."

"Or a reverse summoning." Shikaku's words mirrored Yūgao's thoughts. "Troublesome; for Kabuto to have been able to reverse summon Orochimaru implies that he's connected to the Snake summoning contract, likely having signed it already."

"Which further verifies Naruto-san's words as he claimed to have detected the smell of snakes around Kabuto, a detail I missed since the few times I've spoken to him he smelled more of death and disinfectant." Tsume growled.

"Which makes him all the more dangerous." Yūgao pointed out. "He must have chosen to study medicine as a part time job with the knowledge that the scent of blood, disinfectant and death would throw off any Inuzuka. And while he may be unable to throw off any Yamanaka during mental evaluations, he's kept a low enough profile for all his career to only require a cursory mental glance during the two evaluations he's had to go through."

"This also supplies an answer to an unsolved question." Rangiku added. "Mizuki only hinted to Orochimaru's involvement in his treachery during his interrogations. I believe Kabuto may have been the middleman in that deal, possibly utilizing a henge or some unknown skill to appear as Orochimaru to Mizuki."

"That's actually both plausible and possible." Shikaku frowned. "And it once again heightens the danger Kabuto poses to the village. He's been a spy long enough to know exactly which of our shinobi would be willing to betray the village for more power."

"I'll be honest: I didn't think of it that way." Tsume shook her head. "My thoughts ran more along the lines of 'where does he stand on the skill chart' because I can't see Orochimaru trusting a weak tool so much."

Everyone present showed signs of deep thinking, from Shikaku's closed eyes to Hiruzen's steepling of his fingers.

"If I may ask, Hokage-sama," Yūgao started, "who's working on the Yakushi case?"

"Anko. Any problems with that?"

"Doesn't that present an emotional angle we should be avoiding?" Inoichi asked.

"It does." Shikaku agreed with a small smile. "It's also exactly why Hokage-sama chose her."

The Yamanaka clan head shook his head as did Tsume. "I don't get it."

"That'd be too troublesome to answer." Shikaku yawned. "Uzuki-san?"

On recieving the cue from the Nara, Yūgao spoke up: "Normally, the emotional angle would be a factor in investigation-type missions because the suspect is just that; a suspect whose ties to whatever criminal activities he is being investigated for are unverified.

However, in this case, we are certain of the 'suspect's ties to the crimes and are simply trying to uncover the extent to his criminal activities. As such, Anko's emotions actually make her all too fitting for this as her desire for vengeance would push her to work aggressively to uncover what she can while her desire to trap her prey will make her even more subtle than she usually is."

Tsume lips parted in a feral grin. "Orochimaru's own stupidity has just come full circle to bite him in the ass. Poetic really."

"Very much so." Hiruzen agreed. "Now, Yūgao, I believe the third stage of the exams end today. You are free to go."

—~ ~—

"Alright, so we know that every freshman team from Konoha made it through, together with Tenten and Kabuto's team." Kazehana pointed out to her silver haired partner. They were together in her room, thinking up strategies for whatever would come up following the survival stage of the exams. Their blond friend had left a while back, saying that he wished to see the jōnin-sensei of team seven. Something about seals... "The Suna team Naruto told us about made it too, a record-setting performance, and Fū's team just got in about an hour ago."

"And the team from Oto." The redhead added as she recalled seeing said team in the tower. "I'm totally inferring right now, but judging by what the bandaged guy did to the spy and the name of their village, I think most of their abilities might be related to sonic manipulation of some sort."

"That or maybe bandage boy has a kekkai genkai that allows him manipulate vibrations of other objects and stuff?" The Kaguya suggested, seeming oddly hopeful at that thought to which her redheaded friend just snorted.

"And he shall be called Quake!." Kazehana boomed out in an epic, badass voice.

Both girls laughed at the shared reference to their favorite TV show.

"Anyway, factoring in maybe two teams making it in before we begin, we're to deal with at least four teams whose abilities we have at least a decent idea of how to deal with, a shit ton of unknowns and two jinchūriki. And we aren't certain of the possible tests we might be thrown into." Tsubame added.

"Let's run this over again. The tests I mean." Kazehana stated as she relaxed in her seat. "The first test was on tracking and decryption. It was to see how well we could deal with losing a teammate and working to find a hidden location with minimal data."

"The second test was on our abilities to look beneath the surface while simultaneously obtaining information subtly." Tsubame continued.

"And test three was all about combat simulation and survival in an unfamiliar environment. By tossing us into a totally unknown location, they'd test our adaptability, preparedness, team combat efficiency and survival skill." Kazehana finished. "Adding in the whole 'collect matching scroll sets within a time limit' thing was to further ensure that combat would ensue."

"So practically every base has been covered save for..." The metaphorical light bulb clicked on over both girl's heads at the same time.

—~ ~—

"Individual fights." Naruto rolled his eyes as Yūgao explained the need for the one-on-one styled elimination battles.

"And then later on, we'll be prize fighters for a bunch of fossils to gaze at." Kuno snorted. "Joy."

"Tch, get ready." Kiba grunted, his eyes locked onto the proctor. "She's saying something about random name selection."

Ino clapped mockingly. "Wow, Kiba, never would have guessed that you knew such a big word like selection."

"Copy and paste." Sakura tossed in casually. "He heard it, he lifted it."

They sounded like a bunch of kids at the local sandbox but the jōnin around the room could feel the undercurrent of tension rippling through the room. This was their way of battling that tension.

"Now, before we begin, are there any ones who would like to leave?" Yūgao asked. "At this stage your choice will have no negative influence on your team."

Upon hearing that, a certain glasses-wearing teen limped forward, holding his side with a pained grimace on his face. "I'll have to back out. During a fight, I got clipped by an enemy trap. The tower's medic told me to avoid any fights if I could and, much as I want to, I think I'll only be exacerbating the injuries, pointlessly too if I end up losing."

The jōnin-sensei lounging around barely glanced at the retreating genin while all but three of the genin even bothered committing his words to memory.

"Smooth." Tsubame whispered softly so only her teammates, who were standing on either side of her, could hear. "He's covered all his bases and presented a plausible scenario that paints him as the good guy."

"I'm beginning to understand why no one ever suspected him," Kazehana added. "he's perfect at being normal. No tics, no eccentricities and he knows how to work an audience."

"All things we'll ponder over after this. The first names are being selected." Naruto cut in, hushing his teammates.

"Upon selection of the first combatants, the rest of you are to return to the seating area to watch proceedings until a fight ends and new names are selected, at which point the new combatants simply step into the ring." Yūgao explained as the selector began to slow down its cycling of names. "On a final note: when you step in here, my word is law. Should I decide to call a battle and any overt actions are taken then I will have no regrets in cutting you down."

Most of the genin present gulped upon hearing the last sentence, the overall 'scary' effect enhanced by the proctor's deathly serious monotone.

"Now, our first combatants." All eyes shifted focus to the selector as it finally stopped. "Uchiha Sasuke versus Akado Yoroi, both of Konoha."

"Looks like we get to see the mighty Uchiha in action." Tsubame scoffed quietly as they made their way up into the audience section, each team taking a portion of space that isolated them enough for private conversations to be made while also staying close enough to the others that louder conversations could be shared between groups.

"And going up against Kabuto's teammate. The fight could be interesting." Kazehana murmured in reply.

The Kaguya shook her head. "Nope. Much as dislike the broody bastard, I will readily admit that he's quite a decent hand at taijutsu and he's got good physical stats. Throw in his sharingan and ninjutsu and he's got this in the bag."

"Except he can't use any chakra related techniques, can't even activate his sharingan." Naruto replied tersely.

Both girls did a double take. "Wait what?"

"Before you woke up, I was awake and still rattled about our brush with death back in the forest so I walked around a bit to calm my nerves. While on my short trip, I met Hatake-san directing two chūnin to move Sasuke, who was on a stretcher and unconscious, into a room. He noticed me and waved me over. Long story short, he was about to perform a sealing on the cursed seal Sasuke now bears. He was only performing it then because Sasuke's vitals had finally stabilized.

"Unfortunately, a new problem cropped up: thanks to our interruption, Orochimaru was apparently unable to finalize the seal. As such, certain elements of the seal were missing. And since Orochimaru is the only one who truly understands the intricacies of the seal, Hatake-san could only understand one thing: the cursed seal had rooted itself to Sasuke's chakra pathways. As a result, Sasuke is under strict orders to not actively utilize his chakra as the effects are, as of yet, unknown. Plus, Hatake-san actually swore to forcibly pull him out of any battle if Sasuke attempted to so much as defy that order."

"Well fuck." Kazehana swore under her breath as she watched Sasuke barely slip by a series of decently placed taijutsu strikes before the larger teen used his reach to twist about and clamp down on Sasuke's shoulders for a few seconds. "That hampers his combat ability by about fifty percent, maybe more."

"Did you see that?!" Their Kaguya teammate hissed, drawing their attention back to the fight where Sasuke suddenly seemed drained and was essentially being kicked about.

"What?" Naruto asked as he tried to figure out what he'd missed that had led to such a sudden turn of the tables.

"Akado just grabbed Sasuke's shoulder for about four seconds and suddenly Sasuke's looking drained."

"Poison?" The redhead suggested as they watched on, Sasuke being pounded upon quite viciously.

"Seems too fast-acting, though I am no chemical expert." Tsubame replied.

"Chakra-draining bloodline?" Naruto guessed only to receive snorts from both girls...

...that promptly became baffled looks of disbelief as Akado confirmed Naruto's random guess.

"Luck." The blond shrugged before regaining the terse look that had been present since the beginning of the first match. "But that just makes this match up significantly more dangerous."

Kazehana nodded. "For him to be able to drain chakra from an opponent, especially while the chakra isn't in use means that he's forcibly agitating the chakra, moving it against its will in the pathways."

"That would explain why Sasuke's been gripping the spot he was bitten since he got a bit of breathing space." Tsubame's eyes narrowed as she took in the Uchiha's rigid body posture, his baleful glare at his opponent as virulent as it would have been if the sharingan were active. The Kaguya smirked and leaned on the rail preventing viewers from falling in. "The Uchiha has this in the bag."

Apparently, she'd finally spoken loud enough for someone other than her team to hear as Temari, who stood a few feet away, arched an eyebrow, eyes never leaving the arena. "And what makes you say that?"

The Kaguya's teammates must have seen whatever their friend had seen as it was Naruto and not Tsubame that replied: "The Uchiha has a sharp mind. Even without the sharingan, he can still pick apart the rudiments of a foe's fighting style and come up with a decent counter. Akado, for all his posturing, should have kept his mouth shut because now that the final puzzle piece is revealed, the fight is over."

And it truly was as the audience watched the Uchiha suddenly charge forward with speed he hadn't appeared to have and unleash a swift barrage of attacks at the older genin, each punch, kick, elbow and knee delivered to the optimal location to deal maximum damage. By the time he was done, Akado was little more than a sore lump of flesh on the ground.

"Winner: Uchiha Sasuke."

Temari clapped lightly, more for Tsubame than for the Uchiha as the selector was activated again. "You've got a good head on you. Nice to know Konoha has at least one decent kunoichi."

The silver-haired Kaguya just scoffed as the selector settled on two names. "Well, now you can prove why Suna only sent in a single team."

The Suna girl's response was a challenging grin as she vaulted over the railing and dropped into the arena at the same time as her opponent.

"The second preliminary match: Sabaku no Temari of Sunagakure versus Ichiya Toyotama of Takigakure. Match begin!"

Temari, already in her preferred battle stance, decided to analyze her opponent.

Toyotama was a tall girl, surpassing Temari's height, with a lithe body more streamlined toward speed and agility than brute strength. It probably fit in with her choice of weapon: a sleek, black, possibly metal staff.

'A close to mid-range combatant huh?' Temari would have smirked if Baki hadn't beaten her poker face into her. 'I just need to stay out of her ranges and pummel her with long distance attacks. My ideal fight.'

With her game plan set, the blonde pulled out a pair of kunai and flung them at the black-haired girl. 'Let's test her stats first.'

However, Toyotama was every bit as experienced as the Suna genin and had already deduced Temari's possible plans and decided to respond in what she considered to be the best choice against the blonds girl, moving her staff horizontally just in time to knock both kunai off course.

"Best you got Desert Flower?" Toyotama taunted, seemingly bored out of her skull before abruptly launching forward in a blistering blur of sheer speed.

'Spitfuck she's fast!' Temari thought as she swiftly unlatched her battle fan and swung it around to block off the Taki kunoichi's initial swing. 'And strong too!'

The fight suddenly seemed a lot more even than the blonde had first thought.

—~ ~—

"I am really glad I'm not going up against that Taki girl." Kuno admitted as a multitude of loud clangs rang out from the battle arena. "I am nowhere near that level of skill yet."

"I'm not certain if there are many genin on her level." Shikamaru frowned, watching with full interest as Temari rapidly swung her weapon about defensively, barely blocking her opponent's fluid strikes. "She's been in absolute control of the match and is forcing the Suna girl to perform within her range. As it is, the only reason the blonde is still in this is that she seems to be decent at bukijutsu herself."

"But she's slowing down." Sasuke noted, his sharingan spinning rapidly to analyze the battle taking place.

"She likely never expected a wind mistress from Suna to be so good up close." Kurenai said to her fellow jōnin-sensei, coincidentally continuing Sasuke's line of thought, though they were seated at opposite ends of the arena. "Her plan must have relied solely on opening with a devastating flurry of close-ranged attacks to prevent her opponent from ever playing to her strengths."

Asuma nodded in agreement. "A decent plan. Unfortunately, I don't think she had a fall-back plan, a huge negative in a chūnin hopeful..."

—~ ~—

As Sasuke had noted, Toyotama had begun to slow down, a fact Temari was all too eager to exploit.

Blocking an overhead slash, the Suna kunoichi shifted her hands on the fan and twisted it downward in a diagonal slash, taking advantage of her foe's slightly lowered reaction time to finally go on the offensive. The instant Toyotama jumped back, she knew she'd lost the battle. The main reason she'd started off with such a devastating opening charge was that she didn't believe the Suna girl would be capable of holding her off for more than five minutes. Considering the fact that her team had barely scraped by the time limit due to a combination of finding their scroll late and having to run a gauntlet of desperate teams, she was already running on fumes so she'd relied fully on that charge winning it for her.

Temari wasted not a second as she maneuvered her weapon into its ready position, snapping it open to the first moon with a flick of her thumb and swinging it in one smooth move that unleashed a storm of winds at her opponent. Deciding not to take a risk, she opened to the second moon and spun on the spot, releasing a second, more powerful gust flying outward from her in a radial manner. Just as she began to consider unleashing the third moon as well she heard the bored monotone of the proctor.

"Winner: Sabaku no Temari."

The blonde kunoichi released a sigh of relief, happy that she didn't have to use her trump card in the fight.

'Damn she was tough.' Temari thought as she made her way back to the rest of the genin. 'Gonna have to up my bukijutsu some more.'

"Well, at least you're not a fangirl." A slightly mocking tone broke her from her musing and teal eyes looked into slightly amused, acknowledging gray.

The girl she'd spoken to just before her fight. A matching mocking grin grew on the blonde's face. "Please. She wasn't even worth a minute of my time."

"Nope, just ten." The Konoha kunoichi shot back as they walked back to their seats.

—~ ~—

"The third preliminary match: Misora Kazehana of Konohagakure versus Tsuchi Kin of Otogakure. Match begin!"

The words were scarcely out of the proctor's mouth when the redhead surged forward, possibly aiming to make the battle a close ranged like the last match up had been.

'Sorry leaf bitch but that ain't gonna fly.' The Otogakure kunoichi thought as she unleashed a wave of senbon, her special 'bell-ed' needles hidden in the mix.

The redhead simply charged into the attack, getting riddled by the senbon before disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving only a log in her stead.

'Replacement?' Kin sneered as she focused on her auditory senses. 'Typical.'

She was the sensor of her team thanks to her ability to use chakra to enhance her hearing so finding the girl was not a problem.

The problem, though was, that judging by the sound around her, her opponent had just multipled herself.

'This could make things interesting...' The Oto kunoichi smirked as she adjusted her stance.

The Konoha girl- rather girls- shot out of what they believed to be Kin's blind spot, dropping whatever concealing technique they'd used to hide from sight as they rushed in.

Kin, however, was in absolute control of the fight. Whoever the redhead was, she was talentless, utilizing a brawling style more befitting a thug than one who claimed to be a ninja. Using nothing but the slightest of touches and the most minute dodges, the Oto kunoichi had her opponent stumbling all over. Then, she noticed one of the copies had a streak of blood down her chin from a split lip.

'Found you!' The raven haired girl thought viciously as she palmed a kunai, ready to go on the offensive. The instant she took her first step, she felt two fingers touch her at the base of her skull...

"Genjutsu: Hi no Yaiba."

...and then...

Pain...

—~ ~—

"Winner: Misora Kazehana."

Asuma stared slack-jawed at the arena for a few moments before turning to Anko. "Did you ask 'Nai before you decided to birth the next illusionist?"

The dango-addicted jōnin just snorted at him. While she was in charge of the Yakushi case, she'd shown up both to sew her kids in action and to throw off any possible suspicions on the spy's part. "What do you think Smokestack?"

"Your jokes aside, I must admit that her use of genjutsu down there was simply exquisite for a freshman." Kurenai smiled, eyes locked onto the redheaded kunoichi now making her way out of the arena. "She must have caught her opponent the instant the fight began for her to have been so utterly in control."

"She did." Kakashi nodded. "A swift application of a false surrounding illusion followed by a heart's desire illusion left that Kin girl completely open for the blade of fire illusion."

"Indeed my youthful rival." Guy pitched in as well. "That she used such a swift combination of illusions without her opponent knowing either decreases the young Oto genin's illusory skills or it significantly heightens the youthful student of Anko's. Truly Anko is a most youthful sensei to her team."

—~ ~—

At the same time Gai had begun speaking, Kazehana arrived at the audience seats to face the wry grins of her teammates.

"Geez, so lazy you didn't even try to hit her?" Tsubame asked with an amused smile.

"Wasn't worth the effort really." The redhead shrugged. "I noticed how eager she seemed to defeat me so I just gave her brain enough of a push that it would create the dreams of its owner. No point dragging it out since she wasn't even aware enough to know when the genjutsu had been cast."

"I just hope my opponent's gonna be that easy." Naruto mock-yawned. "Not to sound too lazy but I'm so bored right now that a difficult opponent might be too troublesome to deal with."

"Well for now, rest easy." Tsubame said as the selector landed on another two names. "The next two have been chosen."

Right on cue, the proctor's voice rang out: "The fourth preliminary match: Abumi Zaku of Otogakure versus Sabaku no Kankurō of Sunagakure. Match begin!"

The genin of team nine watched as the shinobi of the Sound Village jumped back to create space between himself and the opponent he'd expected to lash forward instantly.

However, the cloaked ninja from the Great Village remained stoic, unmoving... until he swiped a hand out in an arc and unleashed a veritable storm of senbon.

" _No one_ should be able to throw that many senbon that fast!" Naruto frowned in thought.

Kazehana, on the other hand, had deduced exactly how the Suna shinobi had performed that feat and she smiled grimly. "You're right Naruto. No _human_ could possibly throw so many senbon so quickly."

—~ ~—

During their brief conversation, Zaku had been forced to utilize some swift acrobatic moves to dodge the progressively increasing amount of senbon directed at him from an opponent who had not moved an inch.

The realization of his opponent's seeming immovability sparked a rage in the boy and, as he ducked beneath another barrage of senbon, he built up chakra in his lower arms, charging up an attack. The instant he saw an opening, he took it.

"Fūton: Zankūha!"

Decapitating Airwaves, a wind styled attack that allowed him to compress hischakra and then let it loose in the form of a single arc of wind that could, at full power, slice cleanly through a thick oak tree. For this match, he'd gone for a less sharpened, more burgeoning attack that would definitely pick the smug bastard up and ram him into a wall.

He'd added a second Wave to back up the first just for insurance purposes.

Surprisingly, the Suna shinobi elected to simply brace himself, adjusting his footing and crossing his arms over his face to weather the oncoming storm.

The first Airwave crashed into the cloaked figure, pushing and battering, trying to pick him off the ground.

Zaku's jaw dropped when the first Wave passed to no effect and the second slammed in.

"Knowing your opponent is the first step to defeating them." A voice stated calmly behind the Oto shinobi, prompting him to spin around instantly.

He got a barrage of senbon for his troubles.

Well, just six senbon, a pair for his knees, elbows and shoulders.

And, try as he might, he simply couldn't move.

"If you're wondering, the reason you can't move is the specific paralysis-inducing poison coating my senbon. As to how I got behind you... Well..." At that moment, though Zaku couldn't see it, the hood on the cloaked figure he'd been fighting dropped off to reveal a wooden head. "That was a puppet. I had it draw your attention while I snuck up behind you. Fun right?" And, with a cocky smirk, the war-painted teen from the Village Hidden in the Sands called to the proctor: "We're done."

"Winner: Sabaku no Kankurō."

—~ ~—

"Of course." Naruto's palm met his face with a smack. "Only a puppet could hurl so many senbon because they don't throw in the first place. The senbon are attached to a rotary launcher, allowing them to hurl entire cartridges of senbon faster than most jōnin can throw kunai."

The knowledge sounded rehearsed because, in a way, it was: Anko had made notes of various battle mechanisms used across the Elemental Nations and basically force-fed them with it.

"What clued you in?" Tsubame asked as she watched the Suna genin smirk at his opponent. His tactic, underhanded as it might seem, had been pretty straightforward: draw attention to puppet, litter surroundings with senbon, get around opponent and end the battle. Swift and flexible, should need for alterations arise.

"Two things: First was that each of them had a large bundle with them. The girl's bundle was easy to decipher due to its shape, followed by make-up boy. On the other hand, the redhead's an unknown as of yet.

"Second: During the written test, I noticed that he was excused to for a minute. While that wasn't odd, it was much later, after the exams that I saw Ibiki-san pin him with a stare as he entered the room again _though he never left a second time._ He must have stashed his puppet outside somehow and walked it in then used it to solve the questions."

"Impressive." The silver haired Kaguya nodded. "Why didn't you warn us though?"

The redhead just waved dismissively. "Were any of us to face him, I'd have given the heads up. As it is, it would have been a waste of words."

"Of course it would." Naruto rolled his eyes, rejoining the conversation now that the fight was over. "Well, time to see how far Kuno's come in the past months."

"She's up next?" Kazehana arched an eyebrow. "Against who?"

"Fū'second teammate."

—~ ~—

"The fifth preliminary match: Izumi Ichiya of Takigakure versus Tsukiumi Kuno of Konohagakure. Match begin!"

A few seconds before the commencement of the match, Kuno's mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts, first and foremost being worry with a hint of fear. Her opponent was, if the few snippets of conversation she'd overheard from the Taki team were accurate, the twin sister of Toyotama, the staff wielding girl that should have taken out the Suna kunoichi if it weren't for her weakened physical state. As it was, the blonde Konoha genin was uncertain of her chances of even surviving against Toyotama, weakened state not withstanding. Yet here she was, going up against the same girl's sister.

Her fears were justified.

However, the instant the match had been declared on, the girl discarded her emotions and, pulling out a pair of kunai, settled into a variant of the Academy-taught taijutsu style.

And waited.

Waited.

Waited some more.

And then, the instant she noticed the split-second waver of her opponent's attention, she surged forward.

It was a trick her sensei had taught her: in shinobi fights, the battle almost assuredly went to the one who attacked in the moment of an opponent's inattention. Be it a burst of rage due to a few casually thrown insults or a surge of indignation at being ignored, that split-second of inattention was all a shinobi needed to launch an attack and then pour on the steam till the job was done.

While her sensei preferred either of the abovementioned methods, she'd opted for a different tact: stare at the opponent with solemn indifference until they cracked.

With her split second lead, the blonde girl shot into her opponent's space and began attacking as fast as she could, utilizing both kunai to defend and attack simultaneously.

At the same time, her head analysed all that she could of the fight. Her time with team seven had broadened her knowledge and she had learned a vital lesson: it was pointless to attack mindlessly. Keep the pressure on, yes, but analyse your opponent as you go; learn from them and adapt to keep them on their toes.

And so she did, noticing how her opponent preferred flashy movements to economical and efficient ones as well as the seeming overdependence on utilizing her legs for majority of her moves, leaving her hands to act as supports and counterweights for the rest of her body.

'Her shinguards are very durable.' Kuno noted as one of her kunai glanced off said piece of armor. 'I'm lucky I got in close when I did. Considering her leg strength and fighting style, she must be incredibly fast to get into her opponent's guard.'

Ducking beneath a crescent kick that sent her hair flying, the blonde switched to a reverse grip on the kunai in her left hand and brought it up in a diagonal slash.

Ichiya, though tired, had the advantage in experience and had anticipated such a move. So, with a slight flex of her arms, she pushed off the ground, allowing the momentum of her missed kick to carry her twisting past the blonde's slash. A second, more forceful twist had her altering her position to land nimbly on the ground. Not even a moment later and she was forced to begin the same bobbing-and-weaving dance they'd been stuck in since the beginning of the match. She was too tired to pull most of her more devastating moves and, while the blonde had started off with explosive energy, the younger kunoichi was tiring out now, leaving more gaps in her stances and less energy in her strikes.

It was more a battle of attrition than anything else at this point.

Both kunoichi knew it.

Neither was willing to back down.

—~ ~—

"I'm impressed, Cyclops." Anko murmured softly as she intently watched the fight in the arena. "You've improved on her quite a lot this past month. There are a few holes in her stances and her movement isn't seamlessly smooth yet but she's grown leaps and bounds."

"I have your team to thank for that." The former ANBU captain nodded absently, watching his student's every move and cataloguing them in preparation for the training regimen he would put her through, regardless of the outcome. Her current skill level showed that she was ready to step up. "Since the Wave debacle, she's been pushing herself. And though her stamina isn't up there yet, she's giving as good as she's gotten."

"I gotta say, though; they are very good at taijutsu." Asuma noted. "One's utilizing a variation of the Academy style to keep the pressure up while the second is using a leg-based taijutsu style for both defense and offense."

"Impressive as it is though, it's become a battle of attrition." Kurenai stated as she leaned forward. "Ichiya entered the battle already weakened from her team's narrow survival of the forest test. However, she's got the advantage in experience and endurance. Kuno, on the other hand, was fully rested going into this fight but she's got lower endurance so most of the explosive energy she started off with has been drained away, leaving them on equal footing."

—~ ~—

For one Haruno Sakura, this match was as disturbing as it could get.

And it wasn't her match.

For as long as she could recall, she had always fancied herself to be the future wife of Uchiha Sasuke, beating out the rest of the girls with her brains and beauty and love. She believed that the chances of her ever being better than someone like Ino in combat was extremely slim seeing as the blonde was the clan heiress would undoubtedly be trained extremely well. So she'd thrust herself into her strength: academics. Never had she faced a test she couldn't ace, not even the chūnin exam written test.

When she'd been put together with Sasuke, she'd deemed it fate; forget the blonde, her inner self had screamed, with your looks and brains he'll be stunned! He will save you when you need help and you'll help him strategize! You've practically won!

For the first few weeks, it had seemed as such.

Until the Wave mission.

Suddenly, Kuno seemed more interested in growing sweaty and bulking up with muscles than Sasuke. To her, it had seemed like the blonde had given up. Yes, Sasuke seemed to exchange a few words with the girl but Sakura had been sure that the Uchiha only had eyes for her.

Then, she'd noticed the looks of interest said boy had given the Suna kunoichi and the redheaded genin of team nine. She began to notice a trend: Sasuke seemed to be interested in girls with combat capabilities.

And now, she noticed him staring at Kuno with the same look as she battled an opponent Saskura was certain she'd lose to.

'Was I wrong? Am I actually on the path to _losing_ him?'

—~ ~—

In the end, to no one's surprise, the match ended in a draw with both girls collapsing at the same time, their bodies too drained to continue.

"Damn... I really wanted Kuno to win." Chōji murmured between chomps of his potato chips. "She's become a really good fighter."

"Yes but she's not a good kunoichi yet." Shikamaru stated, sounding as bored as ever but his eyes were sharp.

Of course, his statement earned him the ire of his blond teammate. "The hell Shikamaru! She just fought a really tough opponent to a draw! And she's a fresh genin!"

The Nara just sighed. He really should have expected this. "Kuno went in with only one battle plan: wail on Ichiya until she won. There were at least six alternatives to such a crude and simplistic plan that still would have played to Kuno's seeming preference for pure taijutsu. And no, you troublesome blonde," the lazy genius sighed again as he cut off his gossipy teammate, "I didn't even _try_ to push my 'overly big brain' to figure that out. The fact that she went up against an opponent that began to tire about halfway through yet didn't switch to long ranged snipe tactics should have made it plainly obvious that she lacks the mentality to-"

"Holy shit that was quick!"

The lazy genius' rant was cut off at the sudden exclamation from their big boned teammate and turned their attention to what had drawn forth such a reaction from the normally laid back dude.

At a later date, Shikamaru would consider thanking Sakura for providing a spectacle that had managed to stun Ino into a dazed silence.

—~ ~—

Tenten felt utterly disgusted.

Scratch that.

Tenten, for the first time in her life, felt such utter _loathing_ for a living being that she just wanted to erase it from existence.

The object of her loathing was the pink haired waste of space named Sakura.

The random person would think her thoughts too harsh but those that truly knew her, her sensei, teammates and Anko's team, would understand the source of her loathing.

Perhaps it was best to clarify: Higurashi Tenten did **not** hate _Sakura_ but the _concept_ Sakura represented: Fangirl.

All her life Tenten had strived to become not just any badass kunoichi but THE badass kunoichi. She'd made Tsunade her mentor and had pushed to be like her. It had nearly crushed her spirits when her Aunt Matsu had explained how hard it would be to break out of Tsunade's shadow if she emulated her thoroughly. The bun-haired girl had pushed herself to discover her talents and then pushed to make herself the best at what she did. And when the physical limitations of her own body had halted her progress in shurikenjutsu, she'd branched into the almost esoteric art of fūinjutsu to push herself some more.

To her, the chūnin exams were the first step to attaining her dreams and she was ready to make an indelible impact.

So, considering how impressive each of the female competitors had seemed (Kazehana included because she knew how scary the redhead could be with her near imperceptible genjutsu), she'd been itching for a go.

Being put up against Sakura, however (and especially in light of Kuno's matchup), had caused her soaring buzz to simply crash. Seeing the pink haired girl squeal her intentions of impressing her 'Sasuke-kun' whilst conveniently ignoring the pain her teammate was undoubtedly in had triggered the rage. Seeing the stupid thing jump into the arena only to stumble like a drunk fool had stoked the flames.

Analysis of the girl's body had set the inferno blazing while pouring on a liberal quantity of explosive notes that had been drenched in paraffin.

The arms were rail thin with no muscle definition to imply any form of training. Same for the chest and legs. And a subtle use of the Chakra Wave sensory technique Naruto demonstrated a while ago had revealed the pink haired moron had barely above civilian level chakra reserves.

The concept Sakura stood for was the direct antithesis of Tenten: where the bun haired girl would train herself into the ground, the pink haired girl preferred to dress prettily. Where she would rather fight her way out of danger, Sakura would all too gladly wait for her Knight in brooding armor.

Neji may never have directed any of his rants about fate to her but she knew he thought of her the same way he did Lee: the poor unskilled orphans desperately trying to succeed against fate. She despised that thought so seeing one who had left herself to the hands of 'fate' was more than she could take.

The words were scarcely out of the proctor's mouth when team three's kunoichi shot forward like an arrow, unsealing a wooden battle staff from one of the seals she'd drawn onto her blouse. Gripping the slim staff firmly, she launched into a slew of attacks designed to cripple and inflict pian. Her choice of the wooden staff over the metal one she had stored two seals to the left was twofold: she didn't want to kill the girl, yes, but more importantly, the chances of permanently damaging something in the girl was reduced with the wooden staff.

Twenty-three seconds later, she was done with the pile of quivering flesh and she turned to storm back up to the stands, not even waiting to hear the proctor declare the match her win.

—~ ~—

"Well, that was an utter disappointment." Tsubame huffed as she blew her hair out of her eyes.

"I just feel bad for Tenten." Naruto shook his head as he watched the bun-haired girl march back to her team, the aura of rage she emitted parting the genin before her. "To be so pumped up before a fight only to be so thoroughly let down must have hurt almost physically. If we were in the finals already she may not be considered for promotion because no one got to see how skilled she really is."

"Guess it's a good thing she faced Pinky here." Tsubame yawned as the selector whirred through names. Her eyes narrowed as her name appeared beside her opponent's. "I am so gonna have fun with this match up."

Her teammates sported equally feral grins. "Knock a few teeth loose eh?" Naruto smirked as she projected a bone blade the length of a tantō from her elbow and pulled it free of the joint.

"I'll try to restrain myself to just that."

—~ ~—

Standing opposite the leering genin, the silver haired Kaguya was reminded if exactly why she wanted to take out this bastard: he was either a conniving, traitorous rat or a criminally oblivious fool. Either way, he was too much of a threat to the village to be allowed a pass.

She noted how he settled into a loose fighting stance after the proctor had called the match and how his leering eyes seemed to dismiss her as a weak opponent.

Tsubame suppressed the vicious grin that threatened to split her face. He'd already decided how his mind saw her and she felt obliged to give him a rude awakening.

'First, the bait.'

Her grip on the bone blade slackened near imperceptibly, allowing the blade to gain the slightest of quivers. Her body shifted uncomfortably and her head bowed just low enough for her eyes to he hidden by her hair. Altogether, she projected an aura of fear and despair.

Misumi picked up on it instantly. "Oh? Is the little girl scared?"

"I-I'm not a little girl!" She yelled shakily as she slipped her right foot behind her left in preparation for a charge.

"Are you sure? Because the little girl sounds pretty terrified." Misumi replied in an easy, condescending drawl.

'Time to dangle the worm...' She thought as she pushed off toward the older genin, her stance sloppy and her speed significantly reduced. Yelling angrily, she rushed into close quarters with him and began slashing wildly.

—~ ~—

"This is the girl you bragged about so much, Anko?" Kurenai asked her best friend with a disappointed look. "I am not impressed."

"You shouldn't be." Gai affirmed. Unlike the genjutsu mistress, however, Konoha's resident taijutsu beast had a tiny smile tugging at a corner of his lips. "That's exactly what she wants you to think."

Upon hearing this, and seeing the confident smiles of the jōnin around her, Kurenai sat up and looked closely at the two that were fighting inside the arena. All she could see was Anko's student flailing around while her opponent easily evaded each sloppy attack.

A few seconds later, she saw the older boy contort around his opponent in an odd way before slamming an elbow into her back, sending her sprawling.

"I give. What am I looking for here."

"After the match." The other four replied in perfect stereo.

Kurenai sat back with an annoyed huff.

—~ ~—

'Okay,' Tsubame winced a bit as she felt her back pulse in pain, 'maybe I shouldn't have allowed him to hit me.' Still in character, though, she threw a shaky glare at Misumi who just leered at her. 'On a totally unrelated side note, I am _so_ gonna need to take a bath after this. I feel filthy just being in his presence.'

"So, little girl, you must be wondering how I was able to hit you... Well, like my teammate, I've got a very fun ability that allows me to stretch and contort my body in ways no one would expect."

Her eyes widened in shock. "What?"

In her mind, the girl smirked as the older genin went off on a tangent about how she was weak trash and all that jazz. She'd baited him perfectly and now, it was time to reel in the catch.

The instant he moved, she cut back her resistance seals by two levels and blasted forward, closing the gap between them in a second. Time seemed to dilate around her, allowing her to savor the slacking of his jaw in shock. Instead of a direct charge, though, she angled her approach to merely pass him by. As she zoomed by him, she slashed at his side, digging a deep gash just below his ribs before spinning and driving the bone blade into his back, a last second decision making her avoid the spine.

"Never underestimate an enemy." She hissed softly before yanking the blade out and watching him collapse in a heap. Then, she hurled the blade at him and watched it embws itself deeply a few feet away from his head. Out of his reach, yes, but enough to send a message. "Forfeit."

She could see it in his eyes; the smouldering rage at her victory yet the undeniable acknowledgement of his defeat.

It was no surprise to her when he choked out his words of surrender.

—~ ~—

"Cold." Fū shivered as she watched Tsubame walk up to her downed opponent and pull her blade out of the ground. She'd spent over two weeks with the Kaguya and her team yet not once would she have suspected that the silvery haired girl could so easily manipulate the outcome of a fight.

"Indeed." Toyotama agreed. Having been cleared by the medbay, she'd returned to watch the rest of the proceedings since that horrid performance by the pink haired shame on the kunoichi name and she was impressed by the last battle. While she'd never had to work directly with the Kaguya's team when they'd helped in freeing Taki from Suien, she had seen the team in action once. "Apparently, their individual skills are just as effective as their teamwork."

"You'd seen them fight?" Fū asked. Taki's team six had been split up during Suien's takeover and, far as she knee, she'd been the only one to work with Konoha's team nine.

"Yup." The black haired staff wielder leaned on the railguard. "Ichiya and I were working with Kasamatsu-sempai on clearing some tunnels when we saw you guys take on Suein's guard in-" she cut what the next match up was. "Oh... An intra-clan match up."

"Huh?" The mint haired jinchūriki of the Nanabi immediately turned to the selector to see two names...

"...Hyūga Neji versus Hyūga Hinata, both of Konohagakure: Begin!"

—~ ~—

Yeah. I'm cutting off here. Blame fatigue, illness and The Block.

I'm honestly too tired to even complain or shit.

Later guys.

Please Read and Review

The Ethereal Lord


	18. Chapter 17- Compromise

This chapter is my answer to a question that has plagued most of us Naruto fans: why did Naruto remain a genin for so damned long?

Also, spot the Fate/Stay Night-UBW reference.

 _ **Altered**_

 _ **Chapter 17- Compromise**_

He'd just gotten into the village in the early hours of the day, two days before his official return date, and had swung by the Forest of Death to watch his godson's team in the preliminaries. Suitably impressed, he had decided to drop in on his sensei for a quick greeting before heading to the bathhouses.

At the moment, he was uncertain if that was the right choice.

Upon getting there, he'd noticed the distinct chakra signature of Mito Uzumaki's privacy seal in action and had wanted to simply leave when Rangiku had stepped out of his sensei's office to call him in. He walked in to see a collection of people that had every internal alarm blaring.

Nara Shikaku. Yamanaka Inoichi. Inuzuka Tsume. Mitarashi Anko. Uzuki Yūgao. The Professor.

Jiraiya knew he was something of a joker in most situations but the hard eyed look in the faces of those present instantly silenced that part of him. Instead of a wisecrack, he'd simply asked for the situation and had been provided a file by the Hokage's secretary.

"How the fuck did we miss this sensei?" Jiraiya asked quietly as he pored over the information displayed before him a third time.

"We've been asking ourselves the same thing, Jiraiya." The Professor replied curtly.

"You can only see it now that they've been compiled, Jiraiya-san." Shikaku explained. "The entire reason this was missed for so long was that on the surface, they seem like-"

"A series of Unfortunate Events." Inoichi continued. "Team gets attacked by a bunch of bandits? It gets shrugged off as a regular occurrence even though the leader of said bandit group has had ties with Otogakure. A four-team convoy gets ambushed by Otogakure? Regular occurrence. Besides, three-quarters of the convoy made it out alive. Two may never continue their careers as shinobi but it's an acceptable loss."

"He used our own rationalizations as shinobi against us." Yūgao stated. She'd been through the compiled information and had seen how the spy had cleverly worked them against themselves using little more than typical human assumption and manipulation of shinobi paranoia. "As much as I hate him, I will admit that I find myself intrigued by his methods."

The Nara clan head nodded. "Indeed. But, just to compare notes, why are you impressed by his methods?"

"His strategy ensures that the Village may well collapse due to internal strife and accusations when he's taken out of the formula."

"Explain." Tsume growled.

"It's pretty simple." The ANBU swordswoman shrugged. "If he either escapes the Village or is killed without a word as to his accomplices, we could easily tear each other apart as our own paranoia begins to find connections and patterns where there are none. One person accuses the other, offense is taken and faster than Hatake-sempai can switch between two handseals, the whole thing snowballs into a civil war."

"That seems improbable from a civilian standpoint but it's scary to think of as a shinobi." Tsume growled. "The future of Konoha: Torn apart by a civil war engineered by a single spy."

"The fact that we're here means that future is never going to happen." The Professor stated firmly, leveling a cold glare at the other occupants of the room. "Unless we have a traitorous person in this room at the moment?"

The sheer force of presence the old man exuded at upon uttering the last word in his question reminded many in the room that the Sandaime Hokage had once shared monikers with both the Shodai and the Rikudo Sennin.

For Jiraiya, it was a call to arms. The Professor had only ever unleashed his aura so thoroughly when he wanted to go all out on an opponent and the Sannin had gone on to take it as a sign that they could do the same.

A fierce grin cut across the white haired sage's features. Orochimaru had played a dangerous game, having a spy in Konoha. The Snake may have been known as the Genius of the Sannin but he was the Madness. It was the main reason they were so evenly matched; where Orochimaru's genius created plans and schemes, Jiraiya's sheer unpredictability rendered most of those moot.

It was time to tap into that again.

"He doesn't know we're onto him right?"

All but Shikaku took offense to that statement.

"Of course not!" Tsume snapped. "Be serious."

"Just covering the bases." He said. "Here's what we'll do: we back off."

Surprisingly enough, no one yelled in outrage. Instead, Shikaku steepled his fingers and asked for an explanation.

"Simple. This kid's good enough to have evaded us for so long. It means he's extremely skilled. However, just like history shows, without conflict or challenge, shinobi tend to relax their efforts. It was luck that led us to him already so there's a decent chance that he doesn't suspect a thing. So we leave him in his complacency. Let him keep believing what he already does: Konoha's a slacker village in anti-infiltration techniques. In the meanwhile, we keep doing exactly what you've started: we figure out how deep it goes." He explained. "Anko, Yūgao, we still have the sound shinobi housed in rooms at the Tower right?"

"I'm just a shadow clone." Anko shrugged. "I have no idea."

"They are." Yūgao confirmed. "And the rules ensure that no non-indigenous competitor can leave till a day after the final test."

Jiraiya's grin grew even more savage upon hearing this. "So glad that rule hasn't changed. Now, Yamanaka-san, what say you to a quick abduction of a genin or two? We'll return them in a few hours and, with a few of your clan jutsu, they'd never even know it happened!"

Inoichi's features became stony. "I will not have a hand in causing an international incident Jiraiya-san." Then, in a flash, those features morphed into a roguish grin. "However, I'm certain a bottle of Mount Myobokuzan's finest might... loosen my inhibitions."

Jiraiya laughed boisterously. "Looks like we'll be hitting the bottles tonight then!" Then, he turned to the Hokage and his secretary. "The usual downtime missions are ready for teams with zero participation in the finals?"

"I get the word and the slips will be sitting on this table awaiting the teams." Rangiku confirmed.

"Give his team something lax. In the meanwhile, Tsume I want you to personally observe the Oto jōnin. Be careful, he may be Orochimaru in disguise so you are NOT under ANY circumstances, to get up close to him."

"I'll be on my guard." Tsume nodded. "What's next?"

"Next involves something I'd thought was just a random bit of intel but might have something to it." Jiraiya's visage had returned to a serious one. "Oto's been doing business with Suna. A lot."

—~ ~—

"Naruto, did you know that you are an asshole?" Tsubame laughed as she flopped onto a couch in their apartment. "I mean sweet Kami! The look on Mutt-boy's face when he realized that you'd played him like an expert harpist was utterly priceless!"

Kazehana simply snorted. "The look on Kiba's face. You should have seen Kurenai-sensei! She looked so happy when she thought Kiba had you on the run then when the trap was sprung she seemed flabbergasted!"

"I've got five hundred ryõ that says she placed bets on that match!" The blond called out from his bedroom.

"Sucker bet!" Tsubame yelled back. "Anko-sensei told us she had money riding on the match so it's no great stretch to believe the other jōnin-sensei had some spare dough gathering dust either."

"Yes! Found 'em!" The blond's muffled voice yelled in triumph before a cry of 'Oh shit!' and a series of crashes intermingled with colourful expletives rang out.

A few moments later, the door to his room swung open and he staggered out, grinning like a champion boxer after a particularly gruesome fight. In his left hand, tucked between fingers, were three shot glasses and in his right, a bottle with a smoky gray finish that prevented one from seeing its contents.

"Is that..." Kazehana started.

"Alcohol?" Tsubame finished, looking just as started as her redheaded friend. "To be precise, is that one of _sensei's_ bottles?"

"Yup!" Naruto smiled proudly. "She left it two months ago when she ceashed here with Hana-san. I've been keeping it since then."

"And the shot glasses?" The redhead prodded.

"Swiped 'em outta some bar on our way." He shrugged. "Felt we should at least do a single shot to celebrate all three of us getting to the finals."

After a few moments of silence, during which the blond placed the glasses on the center table and poured the burnt-gold liquor out, Tsubame finally spoke up. "You know, I'm not sure whether to be impressed that you got one of these or scared of sensei finding out."

"She only said we should never drink enough to get drunk. And yeah, she may have said no unsupervised drinking but hey. We're ninja. We get paid to break rules." Naruto waved dismissively. "One glass won't get us drunk, not when we aren't green to alcohol."

"Well then." Kazehana shrugged as she lifted her glass. "To getting past the prelims!"

"Hear hear!" Her teammates whooped as they clinked glasses together and downed the stuff.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Bloody fucking hells!" Tsubame spluttered as the harsh burn of the drink fully hit them, Naruto and Kazehana too busy pounding their chests to think up any curses. "The hell was that?!"

"That" a cough punctuated Naruto's words, "was NOT sake!"

"Ya think?!" The Kaguya spat back as she tried to quell the burning sensation. "Kami, this burns! It's like sake dialed up to an eleven!"

"Least now we know why Anko-sensei called it the hard stuff." Kazehana wheezed as a few drops of water rolled down her cheeks. "We will never speak of this again."

"Agreed." Her teammates nodded.

Then, Naruto grinned what his friends had come to know as his 'prankster grin'. "Well, we never speak of this AFTER Karin's had a shot. We wouldn't want to have her feel left out would we?"

Tsubame's grin matched his in pure mischief. "True... She might be living here after all... It could be her welcome prank."

Kazehana could only shake her head at the pair.

—~ ~—

Hyūga Hinata was nervous.

Now that, in and of itself, was nothing new. Prior to her genin days, she was (and she would happily admit it now) a spineless coward.

Yes. Both spineless AND a coward.

However, since she'd begun to relate with her teammates and the genin of team nine, she'd gradually come out of her shell and had not only developed a spine but was gradually building confidence. Heck, since she'd taken the team's advice and found someone to train her in a specialized form of the jyūken, her skills had shot up! In a few months, she'd gone from regularly having her ass kicked by her younger sister to going toe to toe with her elder and considerably stronger cousin! She hadn't won, no, but she'd forced him to have to pull out every big gun he'd had to put her down. And she was standing! Not even six hours since her fight with Neji and she was up! Learning how to reopen her own tenketsu had been a bitch but it had helped her recovery!

Which landed her here. The cause of her near-relapse to her pre-genin days.

Dad was calling.

Or, as Hanabi had so succinctly put it; "Father summons you to his study."

It was code for 'you seem to be in a lot of trouble'.

Estranged as they might be, they did look after each other.

"Come in." Her father's voice drifted out of the room, as bland as ever.

She steeled her nerves and let out a breath. Time to face the music. This time, she would be brave! She would be strong! She would be-

"Hinata!"

"Eep!" She squeaked before blushing furiously and scampering into the room.

Her father, Hiashi, was a regal man and his very aura exuded that of nobility of the highest sort. Not even the late Uchiha head, Fugaku, could match the man's composure. He had rubbed shoulders with nobles as high up as the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni and had earned their respect.

Yet, Hinata longer for the man she remembered, the father who would gladly roll around on the tatami mats with her or place her on his shoulders to pick out blooming flowers.

She longed for 'Dad'.

Too bad he'd disappeared after their mother's death.

"Hinata." His voice present, now without the hard edge that had just made her squeak, brought her back to the present. She was standing in his study, awaiting his words of disappointment. "I watched you in the arena during your preliminary match against your cousin. You lost. Again. And this time, before a crowd of outsiders."

Hinata steeled her nerves and tried to speak but she'd scarcely opened her mouth when her father spoke again, effectively silencing her.

"However, possibly even greater than all your shortcomings, you displayed a fighting style other than the jyūken you have been taught since birth." Though his voice never once wavered from it's coolly bland tone, each word cut daggers into her heart. "Once again and this time even greater than I had ever expected, you have managed to disappoint me."

'And somehow, regardless of how desperately I wished you'd change, even this once, you have managed to do the same to me.' A tiny, rebellious part of her spat back bitterly in her mind before she could reel it in.

For the next few seconds, neither father nor daughter spoke a word, Hiashi stating at his daughter as firmly as she stared at the ground before her.

Then, he steepled his fingers and asked a simple question that had her shaking internally. "Who taught you?"

Terrified did not even come close to describing how she felt at that moment. Though she believed that there were no rules against her being taught a different fighting style, she knew that her father could just as easily recall a long forgotten edict about such.

'Not this time!' The rebel within snarled. 'Even if we cannot stand up to him yet, we will NOT allow him to take this away from us! And we sure as hell won't get Hitomi-san into trouble!'

For once, Hinata and the rebel were in perfect union.

"No one, father."

For the first time that day, the Hyūga clan head's expression shifted as a single eyebrow arched, perfectly conveying his disbelief. "You expect me to believe that you chose to create a new style of taijutsu based off the jyūken entirely on your own?"

"Yes Father." She replied coolly, feeling her jangled nerves gradually settle. She knew she couldn't outmaneuver him but perhaps with a few well placed... untruths... "However, I did not base it off the jyūken. I, while engaging in a pastime, was able to observe one of the few active ANBU practice their taijutsu. I am uncertain if they were Hyūga or not but I was intrigued and attempted to emulate the style and discovered that it worked well for me."

The older Hyūga narrowed his eyes for a few moments before inclining his head by the most minute of degrees. "Suppose I believe you... What made you think that an outsider's style could ever defeat the jyūken? No, what made you think that an _unnamed_ style could suit you better than that which you have been studying all your life?"

'An unnamed style?' The rebel raged. 'How dare he-' With a mental shove, she pushed that part back viciously. The Rebel had helped her gain the strength to stand up to him but she needed her wits around her now more than ever.

"I began practicing this _inferior_ style just before graduating the Academy, Father. It may seem weak but, as you witnessed yourself, I was able to put up a better fight against Neji-niisan with it than with the regular jyūken. The style fits me on a level I have never felt with the jyūken. It may be unorthodox, Father, but perhaps it is time for the clan to adapt some unorthodox methods into our repertoire."

Hiashi's entire outlook frosted over in an instant. "Do not speak of such folly in my presence Hinata."

The old, pre-Academy girl would never have even gotten this far. Perhaps, if she had only been exposed to Kurenai's training, she would have cowered again.

This Hinata, though, had experienced both Anko and Naruto, two of the most confidently belligerent people she knew. They'd rubbed off on her far more than she on them.

"No Father. I have studied the clan reports just as you repeatedly told me to. I have seen the statistics myself. A greater number of our clan members, branch members perhaps but still OUR BLOOD have died in the fields in the past five years than any other time outside of the Wars." She shot back, never noticing that her byakugan had activated, heightening her frightening glare. "Why do you think this has happened Father? Because we, of all the clans, have never evolved. We know no jutsu beyond the clan techniques which are already so well documented that an entire chapter is devoted to the Hyūga fighting style in taijutsu texts. I know, I checked. Any one with a brain, a _civilian_ with a brain knows that a barrage of jutsu, held up for over ten minutes is often enough to kill a surrounded Hyūga, kaiten or not and they know that they should never get into close range with us. In a constantly evolving world, the clan has chosen to remain static and that could easily lead to our extinction! So yes, Father, I believe we should do things in a new way or future generations might not know of the Hyūga beyond footnotes in textbooks."

A tense silence descended upon the room. It was during this time that Hinata noticed that, sometime during her rant, she'd covered the two feet of space between his table and where she'd stood to glare straight into her father's eyes.

Now, as she stood up to him for the first time ever and stared into his expressionless eyes, she couldn't help but feel a smidgen of grief for the man he'd become.

And deep down, in the tiny corner it inhabited, the three year old Hinata made a promise to herself.

 _I will make those eyes light up again._

 _Even if it kills me._

—~ ~—

He could only hold the façade of cold anger until, with an aloof elegance he'd only seen in her mother, she walked out and door slid shut, reactivating the privacy seal he'd triggered when she'd first entered.

Then the mask crumbled, leaving, bare to the world, the face of a man that had gone to the ends of the world and back to save those he loved.

He wanted to break, to just let everything he'd held back for so long to come pouting out. Maybe that would help.

"Hiashi..." He didn't even react as he felt himself get pulled into a warm embrace, a gentle hand holding on to his, a silent promise to never let him go.

And, for a few moments, the future seemed juat a little less dim.

Then, his sense of duty returned and he gently but firmly shifted away from his comforter. "Thank you, Hitomi-san."

The marked Hyūga woman smiled softly at him and made no issue of what she had just witnessed. It wasn't a first time occurrence anyway.

Back in their youthful days, herself and Hiashi had been close, close enough that many had thought them a likely, if unsuitable couple. After all, he was the heir and she was just a branch member. In reality, though, the two knew they could never be together and had never pursued a relationship beyond a platonic one. Even after his marriage, they remained close and his wife never had a reason to feel threatened. When Aoko died, she had been there for him and when the clan Elders sought to force him to make a terrible choice to rip his daughters apart, she'd been his shadowed support. As she always would be.

"The information you gave me about Hinata has proven to be accurate." He stated, his political mask back in place. "Her skill with your Suijin no Kencho is significantly greater than anything I have ever seen her perform with the regular Jyūken. In fact, were it not for her cousin's sheer ferocity, she may have stood a greater chance at victory."

"It was fun seeing my nephew getting his ass handed to him while it lasted." Hitomi smiled. "I actually feel bad that she lost."

"After all you've done? No. Her loss was simply because Neji's desire to win pushed him through all she had to offer. I have no doubt that if they fought without any sentiments, she would have won."

"She'd give the world to hear you say that." The branch house Hyūga smiled sadly.

"Perhaps. But that is neither here nor there." Hiashi shook his head after a few moments. "Now that her confidence is up and her skill in combat progresses continually, it is time for the next phase."

A simple nod greeted his words. "I'll have her 'run into' Shu. Her ambitions, combined with his growing knowledge of the clan rules and political methods will lead her to learn more from him. How are the Elders taking her loss?"

"I have managed to hold them off until Hanabi reaches her majority. Then, both can contest for the right to head the clan."

"That will give Hinata enough time to learn and develop ties outside the clan that may swing things in her favour... Good thinking..." Hitomi's smile turned mischievous. "For a stuck up main house brat."

The 'clan head' Hiashi seemingly regressed and the old, more carefree boy took his place as he scoffed and put on an exaggerated sneer. "This coming from a branch house wench."

Both shared a look that contained equal parts joy and bitterness. Joy at the playful throwback to happier times and bitterness at a joke that was mostly based on the underlying currents in their broken clan.

Hitomi stood quietly as she prepared to leave his study. Then, just as she reached the door, she turned back to him, eyes brimming with love and a fierce loyalty. "You'll always have allies, Hiashi-kun. Always."

Then, she disappeared.

—~ ~—

"I have to say, I waa very impressed by your performance in the preliminaries. You both did excellent jobs, Kuno's draw notwithstanding." Kakashi smiled at the two members of his team. Sakura was still in the Tower's infirmary, Tenten's assault having come just shy of crippling her. Not like he was particularly bothered anyway. She'd chosen her path.

"Thanks sensei." Kuno smiled a tad shyly at his praise. "Sorry for not winning."

"At least you didn't stand there and get pummeled like a child." Sasuke scoffed.

"Gee is that a tone of pride I detect there Mr Moody Bastard?" She shot back, all hints of her old fan girl tendencies a thing of the past.

"Much as it would be fun to watch you two snipe at each other, I came here for a reason." The jōnin cut in. "As I was saying, I'm glad you two chose to further develop yourselves after the Wave mission. I promised to tell you why I never bothered training you until you showed interest. Well, seeing how well you two have come, I believe you deserve to know."

The silver haired jōnin smiled as he watched them focus fully on him. Sasuke had even taken a seat on the grass and turned on his sharingan as though he was about to listen to the words of a deity. "Genin, for all your numbers, are the cannon fodder of a village. You're put into teams with a jōnin so you can get skilled fast and move from 'barely able to hold a kunai' fodder to 'skilled enough to drop a body before dying' fodder. At that point, though, and this is what indicates possible legends in the making, your sensei is expected to give you a light schedule, barely training you at all for the first few months. During this time, you are being closely scrutinized to see if you have the drive to better yourself. The few exceptions to this unspoken rule include cases of favoritism or the rare cases of a team that already exhibits such a drive.

"Once scrutinized, individuals with that drive are matched under new sensei who actively train them and the slackers stay as fodder. In the ANBU, you are expected to constantly push yourself to be a more effective weapon for the village without burning yourself out AMD, being a former ANBU captain myself, that mindset's been all but ingrained into my DNA."

Silence descended onto the clearing for a few moments, neither party saying anything as the genin digested their sensei's words.

"But sensei, much as I hate that part of me now, I never trained back when we started." Kuno asked, her confusion evident on her face. "Lord Broodster was the one who always trained. Why didn't you train him sooner?"

"Sasuke did train back then, in fact, it seemed like it was all he did. But he forgot something; everyone needs help. No single person ever becomes powerful without help, not even your Itachi. I know this because when we were in ANBU, I often sparred with him to test his skill without the sharingan. We shared opinions and I often showed him an opening in his stance or a way to move more efficiently. We were both geniuses but we knew that stagnation would kill us as surely as a kunai could. If I'd known he'd become what he is now... Well, hindsight is twenty twenty."

At this point, Sasuke was vibrating with barely concealed rage. "You helped him become stronger. You helped him kill my family."

"As did your parents when they taught him to be a shinobi." The cyclopean jōnin shrugged. "The Sandaime trained the Sannin and Orochimaru went rogue. Do you blame him for the Snake's treachery?"

In truth, the question the raven haired genin had asked had cut the jōnin to the core. It was something he'd wondered about for so long, the primary reason he avoided taking on students like a plague and yet another reason he wasted a large portion of his day at the Memorial Stone; how many of his teachings, how much of his counsel had been used against innocent men, women and children as a mad man murdered his way into the history books?

—~ ~—

On some level, his sensei's words had made sense; Itachi's descent into madness could not be tied to any single person. After all, their parents had taught Itachi as much as they could and his older brother would have had more teachers than he even needed, if Sasuke's life was any indication of how much people were willing to debase themselves to curry favour from the heir to the Uchiha clan. On some level, it made sense.

However, Sasuke was no longer a mentally stable person. Add his inferiority complex from having to live in his 'genius' older brother's shadow to the arrogance the Villagers had cultured in him and factor in a Tsukiyomi-fractured mind and you'd have a very volatile mix. Throw in the negative feedback from the cursed seal and all Sasuke's rational mind heard was his sensei not only admitting to helping his brother destroy the Uchiha but also slandering his parents by implying that they'd helped the murderer. It was enough to set him off and he would have reacted if it weren't for the seal itself, manifesting as a sibilant voice in his mind that counselled him to gather what more he could from this village of treacherous monsters before leaving it behind to grow stronger on his own.

So enamored was he by this idea that he only peripherally heard his sensei say something about a month long training session with his blonde teammate outside the city walls...

—~ ~—

"You know, I think it's disturbing how creepily you're giggling." Rangiku drawled as she inspected her fingernails. She was standing in the hallway leading to the Hokage Tower's Main Conference Room, a few paces from the doorway. Head stuck to the door and eye to the (completely unnecessary as the doors were secured via seals) keyhole was the Toad Sage of the Myobokuzan Mountains.

Giggling, as she'd just said.

The Sannin, who was more focused on hearing what was going on inside than seeing, awaiting his cue, decided to play around a bit. "I had sensei install this keyhole, following that, I had Councilwoman Haruno shifted till her seat was right opposite this hole. I get to see her sexy thighs... and oh! Blue lace panties today! Thank Kami for knee length skirts."

The blonde haired secretary snorted. "We both know that's not remotely true. Councilwoman Haruno sits to the left of Councillor Tendō who you'd be looking at if you were actually peeping through that keyhole. Unless, of course, you now like watching sweaty male thighs?"

The Sannin shuddered and turned to her, disgust evident on his face. "Really Ran-chan?'

"Hey! Anything could happen." She laughed quietly. "So, what has a Sannin so worried he's desperately trying to cover up his fears?"

The hallway, quiet by default, seemed to become much more so.

"Naruto. I'm afraid he'll hate me." He replied simply as he rested his back on the door and slid down to sit on the cool marble tiled floor. "Anko and Yūgao already dislike me for leaving him alone, even though I didn't have too much of a choice and frankly, I completely understand where they're coming from. I've always been afraid of him hating me but, being away most of the time, it never really struck me as something to be terrified about. At least, until today."

Rangiku looked at the white haired sage and sighed quietly. She, more than almost anyone save the Hokage and the Sannin, knew exactly why he had to leave. It was a game of politics in its extreme, requiring multiple levels of subterfuge and deception that many would he hard pressed to match. "You know, when Tsunade-sensei started out with Shizune, Shinji and I, she was always quiet about her teammates. Later on, she often spoke of how Orochimaru offered certain suggestions and ideas to her but she only ever spoke to us about you twice. The first time, she called you a 'loyal to a fault shinobi' that she could always trust to have her back. The second time, though is what matters here. She said, and I quote, 'Jiraiya's greatest flaw isn't his indecent behaviour or his near-insane perversity. No, it is his belief that what ever happens around him is his fault and should be shouldered by him only. Ironically, it's also a gift; the greater the blame and guilt he takes on, the more he pushes himself to never let it happen again. It's a dual edge thing that fits him to a tee.'

"I see now what she meant by the first part; Jiraiya-sama, you left Naruto behind because it was the best you could do at the time. Even then, I know that every time you returned home, you headed over to his place. You've left things for him and, through everything, you never once forgot him. He may not forgive you easily but if you channel that tried the right way, the Naruto I know **will** give you a chance to prove yourself. Just don't give up hope. Anko and Yūgao have come to see him as a younger brother and they love him as such. Yet, I have no doubts that they'd come to appreciate your efforts." The Hokage's aide walked up to him and gently rested a palm on his shoulder. "Just don't give up."

For the first time in quite a while, the Sannin felt at ease on the matter and smiled thankfully at his teammate's student as he pushed himself off the ground.

Then, he heard his cue from within the Conference Room.

"Time to make a scene." He smirked at her. Then, he took a few steps back and strode right into the room, ensuring that he slammed the doors open as loudly as he could.

—~ ~—

Haruno Mebuki, unlike a decent chunk of the civilian population of Konoha, did not hate Uzumaki Naruto. She disliked his chaotic tendencies, yes, but she only ever saw him as a child, not the Kyūbi reborn or something similarly stupid.

At the same time, she wasn't stupid. The Uchiha Killer, Itachi had slaughtered his clan singlehandedly and he had been a well respected person as a child. Naruto was a prankster and an all round nuisance. Add the Kyūbi to that and he was a possible Itachi waiting to happen. She considered him a threat and wanted him contained, something the Hokage seemed to be unable to understand.

Unlike most of her civilian counterparts, though, she wouldn't go about attacking the boy for his status.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I have nothing against genin Uzumaki as a person. His status may be a point of contention to some here but not me."

"Then why are you standing to complain about him getting stronger?" The Inuzuka matriarch snapped. "Your opening statement sounds a lot like you're creating a buffer."

The honey-blonde knew that yelling would not get her anywhere. In fact, she believed it was a simple ploy to detract those they felt were wasting their time; the Inuzuka would rile them up and either the Hyūga, Nara, Yamanaka or Aburame would coolly destroy whatever rage filled argument that was brought up. No, calm confidence was what she needed. "I understand how it may have seemed, Inuzuka-san, however I assure you that it was nothing of the sort. I simply wish to raise a singular concern as regards Genin Uzumaki's progress as a shinobi."

"Then speak, Haruno-san." Shiranui Mai prodded a tad impatiently. The retired kunoichi, now a successful businesswoman was still known to be a firebat, even though she'd crossed her mid-sixties.

"Genin Uzumaki, respectful as he is to those he deems worthy of his respect, is still one of the most chaotic elements Konoha has known. As an Academy student, an _abysmally_ bad one at that, he showed incredible skill at infiltration, sabotage and exfiltration. He has proven that, given sufficient time, he can uncover and is willing to exploit security flaws in any location to achieve a complete victory over the ones he deems targets and, were it not for his need to feel acknowledged as a child, we would likely never have known it was his work. His skill at baiting targets into prepared environments that are disadvantageous to them and immobilizing them is second to none in his generation, possibly none in the generation before him. All of this without tapping into any... accessory abilities he has access to."

By this point, she could easily hear the comments being made by the civilians behind her but her focus was squarely on the shinobi side of the room. They all seemed to be focusing on her just as intently.

"My point, Hokage-sama, is that with only minimal training, Uzumaki Naruto could infiltrate just about any location in this village whenever he pleased. A good trait for a shinobi, yes, but for a young boy who hosts an entity of hate? I don't believe I need to spell out the possibilities."

"Particularly condering the fact that about eighty percent of the attacks on him were instigated and carried out by civilians." Hiashi Hyūga's response was swift and bitingly cold.

It was a point she'd forseen as a possible bump, one she acknowledged in fact, but was determined would not be a block. "You are absolutely correct, Hiashi-san. It was something I warned many of my colleagues against. Some took steps to counter it, some ignored it. A great deal of the attacks on Uzumaki Naruto's person was irrefutably as a result of civilian action and regardless of our actions against it, it happened. Frequently. Making it our fault." She paused to catch her breath and noticed Elder Shimura give her the barest hint of a nod. Apparently the War Hawk had deciphered her intentions. "However, at least six cases were documented of shinobi assaulting Genin Uzumaki, each case equalling the damage done in any ten civilian attacks. In each if the documented cases, both clan and non-clan shinobi were involved. Essentially, Hiashi-san, while a greater portion of the attacks were by civilians, a greater portion of the inflicted damage was by shinobi. Shinobi who, according to your own words during a session on another attack on Genin Uzumaki, 'should know the difference between the scroll and the sealed kunai within.' Am I mistaken?"

It was a testament to how well she'd trapped them, civilian and Shinobi, that not a sound was uttered in the room.

Then, she shifted gears. "Itachi Uchiha. Skilled, powerful, polite, respectful. An all round exemplary shinobi. Yet, in one night, he went from exemplary to horrifying. A person whose very name sets us all on guard. Two of the cases of assaults on Uzumaki Naruto's person were reported in by Itachi and in both cases, he actively participated in rescuing the young boy. A man with no negative influence, internal or external, went in one night from friend to foe. Is it really so far out of the realm of possibility that Genin Uzumaki, who holds an entity of hatred and whom we've all given reason to hold on to the hatred, may follow in the footsteps of Itachi Uchiha?"

Silence. Absolute, chilling silence.

"It is for this reason that I believe we should cap Uzumaki Naruto's skill at its current level." She stated firmly, delivering the coup de gracê. "This way, his skill will be manageable should he ever go rogue."

Not a word was spoken as she took her seat, her eyes taking in each member of the Shinobi Council, analysing them as much as she could so she could prepare possible counters to their arguments.

"Shikaku, Inoichi, how possible is Haruno-san's projection and how viable is capping his skill level as a solution?" The Hokage asked, his question worded almost exactly as she'd expected leaving a nigh-inevitable response.

"As troublesome as it is to say so... Haruno-san may be right." Shikaku admitted with an almost resigned air. "It is certainly within the sphere of possibility."

The ensuing pandemonium played out exactly as she'd foreseen; the shinobi council argued against the Nara clan head while the civilian council felt vindicated.

None of it bothered her; she'd just successfully set a plan into motion that the Hokage would have no logical reason to hinder.

Then, the walls were slammed open.

"Doesn't mean you're putting a skill cap on him."

—~ ~—

The War Hawk.

Once, ANBU Captain Hatake Kakashi had been asked to give his opinion of the man. The response was simple: "If he's on your side, then be rest assured that his actions, no matter how drastic they might seem, are with your best interests at heart. If you're against him, though, be afraid. Be very afraid because Shimura Danzō has no limits to the extent he will go to destroy a threat, to say nothing of an actual enemy."

It was a description Danzō himself favoured as it clearly described his personality without mincing words.

Contrary to popular opinion, he had absolutely no designs on the seat of the Hokage. Oh, certainly, he was jealous of Hiruzen but that was more because they had always been pseudo-rivals; the old monkey with his superior ninjutsu and bōjutsu skill and himself with his self-created Shinkū Fūton style and his mind-breaking repertoire of genjutsu. As to being a leader, though, Sarutobi had a certain charisma Danzō knew he could never develop. He would lead the village if they were in a pinch but he wouldn't oust a friend just to do that.

He far preferred the shadows anyway. He could see things clearly and move to intercept dangers faster and more efficiently than if he waited on Hiruzen's direct orders. He was the War Hawk, not because he thrived on chaos but because he spotted dangers on the horizon and fought to cut them off.

And while himself and Hiruzen would always have issues, the jinchūriki's fate was not one of them. Not anymore.

'But somehow, a civilian woman has managed to set into motion a chain of events even Hiruzen would be hard pressed to stop.' He mused as he watched the carnage in the room.

An error, that. He should have been watching the Hokage as Mebuki should have been. If they had, they might have seen the knowing smirk he was barely keeping contained.

They were not, however, and so, like the rest of the room, they were jolted out of their seats when Jiraiya slammed into the room.

"Doesn't mean you're putting a skill cap on him."

It was at that moment, as the rest of the council stared at the Toad sage, Danzō realized that his old friend had just played the hell out of the whole council.

Focused woman that she was, Mebuki was the first to speak up. "I'm afraid we have no idea what you speak of, Jiraiya-sama."

"Considering the wording of my statement, I'd wager that you do." The infamously perverse Sannin's visage showed exactly why he was still a man to be wary of. "However, I'll spell it out for you: Uzumaki Naruto will not be sabotaged in anyway and neither will his potential be capped in anyway."

Apparently, Mebuki's stand had injected courage into some of the more outspoken civilians as a particularly obnoxious man, Matō Shinji, chose to speak up. "And what are you doing here? This is a council meeting!"

Jiraiya, however, was in a sorely pissed off mood. "Nezumi! Get this filth out of my sight!"

Much to the shock of the civilians, a single ANBU appeared beside the man in an instant.

"What are you doing?! He has no authority!"

"Let him hear this Nezumi." Jiraiya commanded in a tone so cold even Hiashi shivered. "I am the head of Konoha's information gathering department. My rank grants me a seat more than anyone here save the Advisory council according to Shodai-sama's laws. That rank also allows me to, forcibly if necessary, eject anyone I deem a possible information leak. A man who doesn't even know the statutes of the council he sits on seems like someone who can be swindled by a well contrived bullshit rule into revealing village secrets can he not?"

Interestingly, Danzō found himself agreeing with the sage.

"Now that a potential threat has been removed, Jiraiya-sama, I believe this council deserves to know why you believe that a skill cap should not be imposed on Uzumaki Naruto." Mebuki stated, her tone just a few degrees shy of matching the Sannin's for sheer frostiness.

For the first time since he'd barged in, Jiariya laughed. It was a short, barking sound that grated on ears as it conveyed his complete and utter scorn. "You mean besides how absolutely stupid such a move will be? Fine, I wanted to speak to Sensei one on one but I might as well say it here.

"Konoha, right now, is only the strongest village in name."

Not even an eyebrow twitched as Danzō mentally discarded the notion, as did every shinobi on the council. They all seemed to have pieced together the counterargument, unlike their currently yelling civilian counterparts.

Then, after a few more moments of yelling, Councillor Tendō joined the quiet Mebuki on his feet. "I find that hard to believe, Jiraiya-sama."

The Sannin, in a move plagiarized from his blond teammate, arched an eyebrow. "Do you? Well then, let's see...

"Kumo and Iwa, the two most powerful villages after Konoha. Neither of them signed the Demilitarization Treaty during Sensei's first rule, Minato had just gotten his shit together as the Hokage when he sacrificed himself for the village and Sensei's been too busy stabilizing Konoha's economy, thanks for nothing by the way Mebuki-san and the pointless civilian council, during his rerun to focus on building up top quality shinobi.

"Besides this, though, Iwa, Kiri and Kumo are **each** in possession of a bijū. Kiri has a jinchūriki kage. Iwa and Kumo both have jinchūriki with absolute control over their bijū.

"Essentially, should a war scenario crop up, while we are crippled without the full force of the Sannin and the Uchiha, no offense clan heads but they _were_ effective fighters, our opponents have a minimum of **three** S-ranked shinobi that can call up the power of their bijū. I am not boasting when I say that I'm good but even I am uncertain of the outcome of a battle against just **one** bijū, to say nothing of three."

"We have Sunagakure and Takigakure, both of whom have bijū." Mebuki rejoined.

"Taki's jinchūriki is about as skilled as ours. And Suna? Really? You'd rely on the village that's barely surviving thanks to its idiot Daimyō to support you in a war?"

"Jiraiya please." Homura spoke up to try and ease the minds of the now terrified civilians. "Surely it isn't as bad as-"

"Do **not** finish that statement, Homura-san." The Toad Sannin replied coldly. "I've been out there not you. I've seen that neither Iwa nor Kumo demilitarized after the war. We may have greater quality shinobi but, after a point, quality ceases to mean anything. We learned this at the cost of our allies, the Uzumaki of Uzushiogakure."

Finally, having heard all that he needed to, Danzō rose to his feet, prepared to be the deciding voice on the matter.

The barest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth when he noticed the pin-drop silence that had settled on the room upon his mere _movement._ 'Heh. I've still got it.'

Finally, having decided that they'd suffered the gut-wrenching silence enough, he spoke. "Haruno-san is right."

The predatory grin of victory on the honey-blonde seemed more at home on an actual shinobi.

"It seems like preventing a repeat of the Uchiha incident is a must and should be worked against at all costs." Danzō paused to ensure that all were listening intently. "However, that cost must **never** be the survival of Konoha. For if we inhibit Uzumaki's potential, then we handicap our own chances of survival."

This sudden change seemed to throw Mebuki completely off and it showed in how desperately she tried to recover and how terribly she was doing. "But- I mean- Danzō-sama-!"

The War Hawk raised a hand and all was still again. "You, as I said before Haruno-san, are not wrong. And I believe we can reach a compromise. Jiraiya."

"Listening."

"I have dabbled a bit into the sealing arts and I believe certain sealing formula can be created that instantly shut off the connection between a jinchūriki and their bijū yes?"

"Done. Minato had one embedded in the seal and I added another to it." Jiraiya replied immediately.

"And since I, and any further Hokage, have access to the key to both seals, I feel you should have more faith in my capabilities, if not in my person." Hiruzen stated calmly as he made his known his reason for setting up the whole charade. "Anything else?"

—~ ~—

Let's leave this here for now.

So, two more chaps, max, before the chunin exam finale. Meanwhile, Sasuke's getting the whispers, team nine experience the hard stuff and the council convenes.

Hope you liked my Mebuki and Danzō showings.

Rangiku doubles as the Hokage's emergency doctor in addition to being a miss Bellum and was Tsunade's student with Shizune. To me, Dan x Tsunade occurs because Shizune tells her bro about her awesome sensei and, intrigued, bro decides to visit.

Muse-chan: _Had Jiraiya not shown up early, Naruto would have had no defense against Mebuki's very realistic argument because even Shikaku and Shibi would have acceded to the logic in her argument and repealing a law that the civvies are actively backing would likely be a bit harder than setting said law up, hence the perpetual genin problem._

PM me whatever you need explanations for or drop in a review.

Please Read and Review.

The Ethereal Lord.


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